Dragon Princess
by Germantownmaiden
Summary: Anzu is your regular princess wanting regular things, true love, their 'prince'. But a spell changes that and she's forced to be a dragon, forever. Will she find love with a plain dragon, or will a certain dragon god steal her heart?
1. The Beginning

Hi everyone, I'm back once again with another story. So, without wasting time, the summary.

Anzu is a regular princess with a regular step-mother and is waiting for her prince-charming to come take her away from the place she used to call home. But just after Anzu turns 18 and her step-mother wastes away, a wizard who is under orders to send Anzu away permantly casts a spell on her. One that turns her into a dragon, permantly.

Fearing to hurt anyone because of her usual size as a dragon she goes to the mountains that are said to hold a dragon. After a rocky meeting with and explains that she doesn't know how to be a dragon, he steps in to teach her. At first she figures it would be find but as she gets to know this dragon it hits her full force, she just might loose her heart to this dragon.

Disclaimer! I own NOTHING!

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My Life as a Dragon

Chapter 1

Princess Anzu sighed as she looked out one of her windows that overlooked her home. It was much like those you read in fairytales. Emerald green grass stretching for miles around and stopping at the large mountains to the side of her window. There was a sapphire blue river that glittered in the sun or moon that traveled and wrapped around the village and castle. From what Anzu could see, the river ended behind the mountains. Of course, she knew the river went on, but as far as she could see, the river went behind the mountains and on to some other far off place she didn't know.

Anzu got pulled out of her thoughts as she heard her step-mother scream at some poor servant. She groaned and walked onto her balcony to get away from her step-mother's voice.

Her father, who she loved dearly, was dead. Anzu had a gut feeling that his death had something to do with that horrible woman. The moment she had met her 'mother' she could see it in her face, the way she walked, they way she talked, that she hated her father.

Anzu closed her eyes as a single tear slid down her cheek. The wind ruffled her short brown chocolate hair promising something, of what, she didn't know.

Day after day she kept wondering when her prince charming would come riding on a white horse to slay her step-mother, take her away and ride off into the sunset.

How many times had she thought of her life as a fairytale?

Probably more than she could count.

"Anzu!" a screeching voice called out.

She closed her eyes, pressing her lips into a thin line. What could that woman possibly want now? Straightening her dress and hair while putting on a tiara and went down for whatever reason her mother had called her.

Where was that little brat? She should have been here by now!

It was by miserable luck that she had to marry a king who had a daughter. Not to mention a daughter with beauty that surpassed hers. Of course that didn't matter now that she was practically fifty! That's what got her.

That brat was beautifully eighteen while she was wasting away! Gods, she _had_ to get rid of the little bitch or the elders of the castle would have the girl married and all the control that she wanted would be ripped out of her hands. There had to be a way to get rid of the girl.

"My Queen." A voice said. She turned to see her personal wizard standing at the foot of her thrown.

"Ah, there you are Derek!" she said. "So, before Anzu gets down here, did you find any good spells that will keep her away permanently?"

"I did find one, my Queen. But this spell is something I will need to prepare for about two days." He said.

"Alright, I've been waiting all my damn life for this, I think I can wait for two more days." She squealed with delight. Derek cringed mentally. There had been so many times when he wanted to go back to his Master Ulrick who lived in the Woods but to leave the Princess to this repulsive woman was something that he couldn't do.

"You called for me Mother?" a proud voice rang out. Derek turned to see Princess Anzu in a simple powder blue gown and a tiara with a single sapphire on it. Derek had always respected her, because unlike the Queen, she had a warm heart and spread her kindness to others.

"Ah yes, I did. You are to order new dresses and have them fitted. For two days we will have a festival."

"For what reason? We just got done with the Summer Festival two weeks ago." She said, slightly baffled. The Queen glared at the Princess.

"What's your point child? Can we not have fun around this dull place?" she asked.

"Of course." The Princess said quickly and bowed. Derek knew that the Queen couldn't read minds, but he could.

_"It's not my fault this place is dull and waiting for you to explode."_

He almost laughed out loud at that comment. Another thing he liked about Princess Anzu, she had one sharp tongue. It was hard to find princesses these days with sharp tongues.

"Go, get ready for tomorrow." The Queen ordered.

"Yes Mother." She said emotionlessly and walked away. When the doors slammed shut the Queen let of a loud shrill, one that sounded like a dying animal.

"Derek, I trust that you will have that spell ready. If I have to wait anymore days you will face my wrath." She snarled.

He pressed his lips in a thin line, trying very hard _not _to snap at her telling her she could do nothing to a wizard, but the fear of the Princess taking the Queens wrath made his gut twist. Derek bowed his head and prayed to every god and goddess he knew that he could get the Princess out of danger, and if that meant turning her to into some creature, then he would go for it. But for the Princess's sake he would choose an animal that was graceful and powerful.

* * *

What do you think?

Did I do good for a start?

Anyways, thank you for reading and hope to have you back.


	2. The First Day of the Festival

Back with another chapter. My last chapter had mistakes. (Bad me.) But hey, I'm human, sue me. I have changed the title. I didn't like this one. :P So, thank you for the idea Sara Darkotter. :)

So, I hope I did good, I hope you like it!

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

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Dragon Princess

Chapter 2

Anzu resisted snapping at the sewing maid as she put together her dress for the first day of the surprise festival. It was odd, why would her step-mother do something like this? She didn't like festivals that much, she didn't like people whispering in every corner no doubt about the fact that she was wasting away.

The maid, Lillian, asked her to turn around so she could double check to see if she missed something. "Lillian, don't you think it's odd that the Queen has announced two days of festivities?" she asked.

Lillian nodded. "I do agree with you that it _is _odd, what's even odder is the fact that she's letting us servants join in on the fun."

Anzu turned to her in shock. "She never told me that! Lillian, are you pulling a joke with me?"

Lillian shook her head. "No Princess, I'm very serious, the young wizard, Derek, told me himself. I think he pulled a few strings with the Queen so we could."

Anzu turned back around so Lillian could finish. She was going to have to thank Derek sometime during the festival. She had to congratulate him for actually pulling that off; no one could pull the strings of the Queen.

Derek came to them four, maybe five years ago when her father was still around. He was kind to her and her father. The only person he wasn't kind to was her step-mother. Before her father had died she remembered the countless times she caught them arguing. He even turned her into a toad once.

While in that toad form she had aged a little bit faster then she should have but it was too late to undo the damage.

"Princess, your dress is done." Lillian said; bringing Anzu out of her memories. She looked down at the golden gown. It was light, unlike the heavy gowns that the Queen wore and with every movement she made the glitter on the gown flash.

Anzu smiled proudly at her choice. She was eighteen now, she wanted to marry and start a life. She would not stay in her step-mother's shadow this time.

This time Anzu wanted to out shine her step-mother. She went to her jewel box and pulled out a golden necklace that had a ruby rose on it. It was better to look simple. If you were covered in diamonds and other jewels then that was clear message that the woman wanted to marry and often times, the mass amount of jewels on the woman only made her look like a showcase, and men didn't particularly like that.

Anzu walked out on her balcony and looked up at the stars that twinkled and glittered in the night sky. "I promise father, I'll get the kingdom back."

* * *

In a library lit by candle light books flew this way and that. Derek was having a hard time finding a creature to choose for Anzu. He was looking back through every book that held creatures of grace and beauty, but when he looked up at what they ate, what they did, and how they looked none showed what Anzu was. She was kind, brave, sharp tongued, she could put up one hell of a fight, graceful, free spirited, and she was beautiful.

But every time he thought he found the perfect creature it always missed _something_! He looked again and found a unicorn. They were beautiful, they could put up a fight, they were kind sometimes, brave, graceful, free spirited, by gods! This creature was perfect, but then, as he looked at the enemies of the unicorn he found a very long list.

Unicorn goes into the 'no' pile.

Derek banged his head on the table none to softly, repeatedly. Was there no creature that mirrored the beautiful Princess!

Then, Derek thought about his Master Ulrick, maybe he would know the answer. He snapped his fingers and a sphere of light appeared and a moment later his Master's image appeared.

_"Well, if it isn't Derek! How've you been boy?"_

"Fine, I guess. Do you mind if I ask you something?"

_"You just did but go ahead."_

Derek rolled his eyes. "You know that spell that can turn people into animals permanently?"

_"Yes, what about it?"_

"Well, I'm making up scenarios and I can't figure this one out. What creature should I turn a girl who is beautiful, kind, brave, sharp tongued, can put up a hell of a fight, graceful, and free spirited?"

_"Hmm, well, have you thought of a unicorn?"_

"I did, but this is a girl, I don't want her to have a mass amount of enemies!"

_"Well, the only thing I could come up with is a dragon."_

A Dragon? Derek thought about it but then paled until he was white as a ghost. "Did I mention that this girl has a very bad temper?"

_"No, but she still matches the description of a dragon. Dragons have an easily snapped temper."_

"Not the ones we know!"

_"Ha! Please, they hardly count as dragons. They're older than time."_

"If the girls heard you say that you wouldn't be standing." Derek said bluntly.

_"I know, but they're not here, and if you ever perform that spell do so carefully."_

"Too late."

_"WHAT!"_

"I used it on the Queen."

_"The—wait, the Queen? What did you turn her into?"_

"A toad."

There was a loud clang of pots, glass, and other objects as his Master fell down laughing. _"You turned her into a toad? Oh by the gods, is that why she's ageing so fast, because you forced the magic to turn her back into a human?"_

"Yes, can you write that down as my greatest moment in my wizard note book? I fell plenty proud for doing that to her."

_"No need to tell me twice."_ He laughed. _"So, anymore questions?"_

"No, I got the answers that I needed. Thank you Master Ulrick."

_"Boy, allow me to thank you for making my day."_

Derek smiled. "Not a problem."

The sphere disappeared and the soft glow of the candle light once again filled the room. So, a dragon.

When he thought about it, changing the Princess into a dragon it didn't sound bad at all. The only thing she had to worry about was other dragons and the few _stupid_ knights that came along.

It was her temper that he worried about; he knew personally that dragons could be very mean and cruel when their tempers snapped but a dragon was everything Anzu was.

Derek thought some more before he finally nodded. He would turn her into a dragon. He only hoped that when he did turn her that he could explain why he did so before she did tried to kill him.

* * *

"Princess Anzu! Get up or you'll be late!" Lillian yelled. Anzu sat up straight in her bed and looked around. The maids were rushing in and out. Lillian appeared then.

"Anzu, please, you must get up!"

She scrambled out of bed and got out of her nightgown practically jumped into the tub like she would jump in a lake. Her first thought, it was cold! That was probably her fault; if she had woken up earlier she would have had a warm bath.

The maids washed her hair in record time. Anzu got out and dried as quickly as possible while Lillian was grabbing her golden dress and ruby rose necklace. The dress was put on quickly but carefully so it didn't get ripped.

Once everything was on as well as the necklace Anzu ran to the festival hall. She thankfully made it just in time as her step-mother was being called out. Anzu heard clapping and some cheers.

Standing in front of the red curtain she straightened her hair, dress, and the golden tiara with rubies. She took a deep breath as they called her name and the curtain lifted. A gasp went around the room and Anzu smirked mentally at the Queen, who was glaring at her with hate.

She walked down slowly and gracefully. Once she met the bottom of the stairs the music started again and the guests went back to talking . . . about Anzu.

The Queen nearly snarled. That little rat, coming in looking more beautiful then her. The young men flocked to her now, smiling, flirting with her. She gritted her teeth. If she wasn't the way she was now that would have been _her_ standing in the crowd of handsome young men.

That was something she would never forgive about Derek. Once she was finished with Derek she would have him killed. It would have been easier if he would just slip his _real_ name. Then with a simple command he would kill himself. Of course, since he wouldn't give it out it would be a little bit harder. But, she could kill him just as easily as she could kill off her husband.

Derek had been doubting himself for turning Anzu into a dragon but now, he was glad. She would make a perfect dragon. He had seen the way she walked down the stairs, commanding everyone's attention just as a dragon did.

He walked up to her with a smile. "Look at you Miss Beautiful. How does it feel to have everyone's attention?"

She turned to him and smiled. "Wonderful. Now I know why that old toad likes dressing up."

He cringed as she called the Queen a toad. "You _still _call her that?"

"Of course! That was the best day of my _life_ Derek. I'll never forget it as long as I live." She giggled. He smiled nervously but held out a hand.

"How about we dance before someone gets any bright ideas to spread a bad rumor around, huh?"

"From just standing here talking?"

"Hey, looking back, there are plenty of people who will make up rumors just to talk about something they've seen."

"But you do realize that you're the first one to dance with me. This could spread even more rumors!"

"Then let's have them think."

"But you just said-" she started to say but his laughter made her stop. "What?"

"It's so easy to make you confused!" he chuckled. She pouted and glared at him.

"You're so mean."

"But I'm too nice to you to be mean Anzu."

She huffed and twirled around. When she came back around to face him she asked, "What's up with the Queen?"

Derek paled. "What?"

"She hates festivals Derek, I'm not dumb, and she wouldn't let servants join in the fun. What's going on?"

"I have no idea." He lied. "I was just as surprised as you were when she told me."

He hated lying to Anzu, it felt like a horrible taboo. When the dance ended he bowed and she curtsied and walked off to talk to Lillian no doubt. Derek watched her go. The thought of her leaving everyone behind to the Queen was painful, but if the Queen tried to poison or kill her in any way it would be worse.

* * *

The day went by quick for Anzu. A sign that she had fun at the festival surprisingly. She slipped out of her golden gown and put it away and brought out a sapphire gown.

It belonged to her _real_ mother. It was one of the few things she had left of her. After she laid that out she went into Lillian's room and moved a rock that only she a Lillian knew of. It reviled a good size hole. Anzu reached in and pulled out a silver necklace with a large sapphire. Of course one single chain couldn't hold the large stone so she asked the sewers to attach it to the front of the gown, right in the middle of her chest.

Anzu loved this stone; it was a gift from her father and real mother, before she had died.

She sighed and laid it with the dress. Tomorrow she had to get one man to ask for her hand. Heck, maybe Derek could ask her to marry him. Last time she looked wizards could marry, maybe.

Lillian came in and smiled at the dress she picked out. "I see you're trying to look your best tomorrow."

"Of course! I want to find someone, anyone, who can take me away from this place."

Lillian nodded in understanding. Anzu locked the door in case her step-mother came in and said good night to Lillian as she crawled under the covers and went to sleep.

* * *

I think this was fast-paced . . . oh well. As long as you guys like.

Alright! Give me 100 reviews and I'll update! _JUST KIDDING! _

I'm not that mean. Give me ten reviews and I'll update. It shouldn't be hard. There's already 4 reviews. 6 more.

Thanks again for reading!

See ya soon!


	3. Transformation

Back with another chapter. This one is a little fast-paced. Sorry. Anyways . . . in this chapter we shall see love and blood.

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

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Dragon Princess

Chapter 3

Derek was incredible nervous. Today was the day he would turn Anzu into a dragon. He still wasn't very sure about the dragon part! He could tell her that he had turned her, and, if she didn't try to kill him, he could tell her where to go.

But with her temper, he doubted that it would end well. He sighed and went to tell the servants to ready the warm water for his bath. Who knows, maybe it would end well.

He grabbed some new robes and went to the bathing hall. The servants were scrambling around so no doubt the Queen was in the female bathing hall, which was just a door away. Of course, he had heard that his forced magic did a number on her body, not just her face. So he wasn't very eager to take a peek.

He went into the men's hall and sunk down in the hot water, clearing the dirt and grime away. He had to admit though; if Anzu was in the hall then he would have been a bit tempted to open the door.

He could remember their first meeting too. She had just come back after picking wild flowers from some field. Her sapphire blue eyes sparkled with laughter and cheer. Before the King had married that distasteful woman Anzu had always smiled.

When the Queen came along Anzu's smile seemed to disappear. She only gave him sad smiles. That was why he hated the Queen. It was _her_ fault that Anzu wouldn't smile anymore.

His hate for the Queen for making Anzu sad was why so many fights broke out. The reason why he had turned her into a toad was because she called Anzu something she never was, ugly.

Of all the things to call Anzu, the Queen had called her ugly! Derek remembered the need for justice that had flown through him. He barely knew what he was doing before he realized what he had chanted at the Queen.

The King had scolded him, lightly though. So, against what the magic was supposed to do, Derek had somehow managed to force her back into her original form. Of course the moment she became human again she started to curse at him, the king, and worst of all, Anzu.

She had called her a 'fat cow' and some other unholy words that he would _never _repeat. So he put a spell on her, a reasonable one too. (And personally, Derek had no idea where fat cow came from; Anzu had the body of a goddess.)

For every curse word she said towards Anzu and any other word that was completely wrong about Anzu, those words would backfire and she would become them.

His spell was the reason why she was wasting away. She had said that Anzu was so ugly that she was wasting away into nothing. He remembered laughing his ass off because she had tried to take it back but to the Queen's dread, the spell didn't take away that particular curse.

Looking back at his thoughts, Derek knew he had a crush on Anzu, but he was turning her into a dragon, and humans and dragons . . . weren't very compatible.

The story that one of his dragon friends had told him was buried deep into his memory. It stung him some of the time.

He had met very nice female dragons, and often times he wished he was a dragon himself but that wasn't possible since his mother's side of the family were dragon hunters. His blood repelled dragons, but not from being near them, his blood only repelled him from _becoming _a dragon.

Derek shook his head, freeing himself of the thoughts and washed his hair and got up. He called forth a warm wind to dry him off as he put his robes on.

He walked out and headed for the festival hall that would be the last place for his treasured Anzu. Well, as a human anyway.

* * *

Anzu walked into the bathroom hall right after Derek had left. Lillian was with her with the soap and the hair soap. When they entered the hall Anzu let out a sigh of relief. The Queen wasn't here.

Last time, she had made the mistake of coming early, after Derek had done whatever magic had turned her into what she was. She had nightmares for nearly two weeks, no, she _still_ had nightmares.

The tub water was warm thankfully. She and Lillian cleaned up and talked about the little things.

They got out some minutes later and dried off and headed back to Anzu's room. She noted the children giggling and running around. _"The festival must be starting early."_ She thought.

After many twists and turns along with some stairs they made it back to her room. Lillian was helping Anzu with the dress, being careful so she didn't rip anything.

Once everything was on Anzu headed towards the festival hall once again and this time, she didn't have to wait behind some curtain and be presented. She only had to walk out. Lillian told her she would go talk to some of her friends and walked off.

"Well, had I known better, I'd say the Princess was alone."

Anzu smiled at the voice. She turned to see Derek, smiling down at her. "Hey there Mr. Wizard, have you gotten to enchant anyone's day yet?"

He smiled nervously. "No, but I have a feeling I will soon."

"Oh," she said, curious. "And how soon do you think?"

"Too soon." He said in a strained voice.

Anzu frowned. Something was wrong. "Derek, it's usually me that's like this. What's wrong Derek? What are you hiding that's hurting you so much?" she asked, searching his face for answers.

"Anzu, I need to talk to you." He whispered. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the lowest balcony they had in the castle.

"Derek, what's wrong? You keep avoiding it as if it will be your death!" she cried.

He smiled and took her hands into his and held them, looking deep into her eyes. "Anzu, I-"

"Derek!" a familiar screeching voice called out. They both cringed. He was about to let go but Anzu tightened her grip on his hands.

"Tell me. Ignore her and tell me!" she whispered desperately. He sighed and shook his head.

"The Queen is calling, I vowed to obey the Queen Anzu, and I cannot go back on my vow."

Anzu pressed her lips into a thin line. Damn that woman, damn that woman for breaking a magical moment. Her magical moment! "Stay here, I'll come back, I promise." He said. He gave her one last sad glance and disappeared into the shadows.

Anzu turned to the land in front of her. Does Derek wish to tell her his feelings toward her? The very thought of Derek telling her that he loved her sent a wave of heat through her, so hot that she started to fan herself.

It only took seconds though, for her to realize that the warmth she felt didn't arise from the thought of Derek, this warmth was somehow flushing over her skin, and it was getting painful!

She looked down at her arms and almost screamed. Her skin was _melting_, no, it seemed to be almost like a snake's skin. She could clearly see scales under her skin. She reached to touch her face and pulled them away instantly. It was the same.

Anzu closed her eyes, willing this to be a nightmare, but when she opened them again she found that they weren't a nightmare. Suddenly she heard footsteps and the sound of the Queen's voice. Looking for a place to escape she jumped.

Anzu landed like a cat and took off running with inhuman speed. She kept running until she collapsed in a clearing. Then, a bright, white light surrounded her. She closed her eyes and waited for the light to go away. The pain was gone now.

Opening her eyes she found that she could see the world's colors as if it were day and not night!

"Anzu."

Derek! She turned to see him looking her in awe. "It seems . . . that I have made a good choice after all."

Anzu shook her head and opened her mouth but all that came out was a roar. "Use your mind Anzu." She noted that he didn't use his mouth, but he seemed to be going it with his mind.

"What . . . do you . . . mean?"

"The Queen told me that I must kill you or get rid of you. I didn't want to kill you, so I perminately changed you into a dragon. You have few enemies, many powers. Though . . . I did not expect you to be this big. Why, you're almost as big as the dragon god . . ." he muttered.

"So, you're telling me that I am like _this_, forever?" she snarled. He paled and shook his head.

"No, once you gain enough energy as a dragon you can periodically turn into a human-" He stopped and gasped as a large claw came crashing over his body, pinning him to the ground. Derek felt the air leave his lungs. It took a while to get his breath back. He looked up at her again. Sapphire eyes rimmed with silver stared holes into him.

"You better talk fast Derek, I care much for you but I know that dragons will sometimes eat humans, but I _could_ make you my first _meal_!" she snarled. Derek flinched as her voice roared inside his head; it even made his ears ring.

"I understand your anger Anzu but I did this for you!"

"It would have been better if you had just run away with me!"

"I can't do that Anzu, I vowed to serve-"

"You vowed to serve my father and I! Not the damn Queen." She took a deep breath that made Derek turn ghostly white. He did not want to personally find out what her breath weapon was!

"Anzu! Wait, just let me talk. Please?" he begged. She watched him for what seemed like years, but finally, she lifted her claw up slowly. Derek scrambled away and stood up.

"Alright, I turned you into a dragon because I wanted to save you from the Queen. She gave me the option to _kill_ you or do something that will make you weak. Like, turn you into a fish and then she can have you for dinner." Anzu shivered, good, she didn't like that idea either. "So, I made you a dragon. This way, you can get revenge if you want."

Anzu was silent for some time before she spoke. "So, you gave me this form, so that I could take revenge for all that she's done to me?"

Derek nodded. "Yes, and also because you'll have few enemies!" Anzu wrapped her long tail around her and stared at him. Suddenly he had a feeling that he was the mouse and she was the cat. "Anzu . . ."

"I _might_ forgive you, but don't think you're off the hook Derek." He smiled and nodded. He was about to ask her something when he heard something behind him. He listened and watched the area where he had heard the noise. He noticed a flash of light, as if the moon light hit a . . .

He turned back to face her, his eyes wild. "Go! You must leave or they will harm you!" he whispered. Anzu stared down at him before turning away.

"Anzu . . ."

"Yes Derek?" she asked, turning to him, one last time.

"I love you. Since the first day I came to you I loved you. Why do you think I hate the Queen?"

In that moment men burst from the tree line, swords in hand. Derek turned to them and back to her.

"GO!" He screamed and without another word she ran, but before she got out of rang she told him, "I love you too Derek."

* * *

Derek smiled. At least he knew that she had loved him. Men grabbed him and cuffed him with magical shackles that rendered him powerless. He allowed them to drag him along and out of the Woods.

After an uncomfortable horse ride back he was brought before the Queen. "My men tell me that you let the beast that killed Princess Anzu get away, Derek. What a shame, and after everything this family has done for you."

Derek snapped. "More like what the King and Princess have done for me! Not you. Not one bit of kindness will _ever _come from your heart you old witch! And don't think for a second that the moment I die the spells that I put you under will go away! The moment I die you become immortal Queen!"

"And what's so bad about that?" she asked snobbishly.

Derek smirked at the Queen; he knew what she was like. "Well, it wouldn't be bad, but considering that you have to live with your ugliness forever, that's the only bad part." He smiled.

The Queen paled and chuckles and soft laughter drifted to her ears. She gritted her teeth. Stupid wizard!

"Behead him!" she screamed.

Deathly silence hug over the people in the room as an axe man stepped forward. Derek knew that this was his destiny, Anzu wouldn't move on if he lived. He looked up at the Queen one last time.

"I foresee your future Queen."

The Axe man stopped and waited for the Queen's orders to swing down.

"And what is it?"

"You'll find that out sooner or later." He smiled and closed his eyes.

She screamed bloody murder and gave the signal for the Axe man. The axe swung downwards in a deadly arch and the axe struck true.

Someone cried out as Derek's blood spilled out on the cold marble floor.

* * *

Yeah, I know, Derek's gone.

When he said Anzu wouldn't move on if he was alive, he meant that she wouldn't love someone else or be happy.

If you have anymore questions I'll be happy to answer.

(And no flames. I know I haven't gotten any yet, but this was faced paced so . . yeah.)

See ya soon and thanks again!  
Hope you review! ^^' (Meaning, if you don't review there will be no update.)


	4. A Rocky Meeting

Hi there, I know, it's been a while. But I can give a single word that will explain all. _School_. Yes, school kept me away. (Not a surprise.) Anyways, I'm trying to update as fast as I can with my other stories but it's become a challange with school. But I'm not giving in. Nope, nope, nope! So, I hope you peeps like my new chapter.

Also, you will notice that the POV changes. I won't have a fancy title that says so-and-so's POV. No. If you read carefully you will notice who's pov it is.

Disclaimer!: I own nothing.

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 4

It took eight days for Anzu to reach the foot of the mountains. Because of her new body she stayed away from roadways; not because she feared the people that might be chasing her, well, that was part of it. But because of her own new strength and what would happen if she had to defend herself against a mob of people.

She traveled well within the tree line until she reached Aquiis Sluice. Forging the wide, freezing waters of the river proved less difficult then she feared because of her new form. Though the cold chilled her she noted that the racing current broke over her sleek scales and passed around her without sufficient strength to drag her under.

Her clawed feet barely sunk into the river bed. What had Derek said, she was larger than most dragons . . . something like that.

When she reached the small farming town of Clemdale and all the outlying villages that huddled around the ducal holding, she relaxed, knowing that she neared the mountain. For hundreds of years her people didn't go through the mountain. She had always wondered why, well, guess now was the time to find out.

When the sun set on the eighth day after her transformation she was at the foot of the mountains. From a human's point of view the mountains would look threatening, but for a dragon, it looked like a safe place.

As she picked her way up very carefully Anzu experienced a trembling beneath her sensitive claws just before steam spouted from the vents in the earth surrounding the base of the mountain. The heat felt incredibly good, and Anzu rested her travel-weary body next to the vent, nearly sighing with pleasure when the superheated steam rolled over her, engulfing her in comforting fog.

She relaxed into the steam as she stood directly on the steam vent. Her eyes slit close and her long, forked tongue lolled over her teeth and scales.

Anzu looked around and found a group of closely grouped vents. Getting in the middle of them she laid her serpentine head on some rocks, using them as pillows and for the first time in eight days, she slept deeply and dreamlessly.

* * *

The rising sun nudged her awake and she came around reluctantly. She opened her eyes to the clear crystal world. Anzu looked down and her claw and realized she was a bit curious about how she looked. Looking for some water hole or small river she got up and looked around.

Finally after some time looking she found a good sized water hole. She looked down in the water to see a sapphire dragon staring back at her. Her eyes were a lighter shade but what stood out were her silver claws and teeth. Anzu actually liked them.

Then she remembered that a dragon had a breath weapon. She looked at a rock and made it her target. Taking in a couple deep breaths she felt something building in her chest. When she breathed out the rock disappeared in a blue mist and then reappeared.

Anzu nearly fell over in shock. The rock was now a large sapphire! On closer inspection she confirmed that it was a _real_ sapphire. _"Wow, so I can turn rocks into sapphires, I wonder, maybe I could do the same to people."_

She laughed at the thought. She could see herself arranging multiple human statues, amusing herself. Anzu then looked at her wings and first word that came to mind was 'massive'.

The membrane covering her wings wasn't see-through, she had heard from men who said they faced many dragons before that you could see through the wing skin. Anzu growled, they lied then.

Those men actually had the nerve to_ lie _in her face. She huffed and blue sparks appeared within the smoke. If she could find them again she would give them a real dragon.

Sighing, she moved on, it was better not to dwell on things of the past. She turned north and headed for the volcano. As she continued to walk on she felt herself tense with every movement of something small, like a small rock falling from its place.

It's not like she couldn't defend herself, she was a dragon now, but no matter how many times she tried to assure herself she couldn't shake this feeling off.

"Alright!" she said to herself. "I think I should go find a better place to sleep at least for now."

She looked around and spotted a cave. Anzu's eyes nearly popped out of her head. How in the world had she missed that? Oh well, right now it didn't matter, all that mattered was sleep.

With her silver claws she gripped the earth and climbed up to the cave entrance which wasn't very hard thanks to her new strength. Once she was on the cliff she looked within the entrance. She didn't see or sense anything or anyone, so maybe it was empty.

Anzu took a few steps in and waited. Nothing happened. If a creature wanted to defend its home it would have attacked her, of course, she considered the thought that if the creature wasn't as powerful as her or big like her than it probably left.

She continued to walk inside and decided to look around. Once, when she was a princess, she had always dreamed about being inside a cave and wondering what was hidden inside.

The cave and the tunnels didn't smell foul; instead it smelled like hot metal, wood smoke, and an unidentifiable but surprisingly delicious scent that caused a curly, pleasurable feeling to unfurl in her. She noticed that her body changed as she proceeded cautiously into the cave, which opened into a series of tunnels. The deeper she went, the heavier the air grew until it seemed to possess a presence, an intelligence that observed her every move. Instead of fear, she felt . . . anticipation. Her wings twitched and her scales stood out a bit from her body. She realized that she now emitted some sort of oil from beneath her scales.

_"Now _that_, is gross, but, I might have to deal with this later in life so, I might as well get used to it. But no one says I have to enjoy it."_ She thought as she shook herself and focused, consciously ordering her scales to smooth back down—and was surprised when it worked. But she just about fell over in shock when she came face-to-face with a large dragon, maybe about a human, two or three, taller then her.

The dragon's scales were pure black. Two other colors were mixed in. Violet leaning a little more to crimson and a gold, yellow mix streaked down his back and ended at his tail.

But what _really_ caught her attention was his crimson eyes. They were compelling, in a way. Of course, what else caught her attention were his _teeth _and _claws._ One might think, 'oh, the teeth aren't _that_ scary.' Whoever would think that in this dragon's presence was an idiot. Of course you're going to be scared when the dragon had teeth and claws that are about _two _damn swords long!

In her mind, she knew she had screamed, but for some reason she only released a puff of blue smoke that floated in the tri-colored dragon's face and swept over him like a caress. One question . . .

What was wrong with her? She should be running, as in, the opposite direction. Instead, here she was practically purring!

"Are you seeking death, foolish fledgling?"

Just like when Anzu had talked to Derek, she didn't _hear_ him speak, she _felt_ his voice in her mind, and it resonated, sounding incredibly deep and darkly exciting. She couldn't understand why she remained so mesmerized by the brute but her body refused to obey her command to flee in terror. Instead attempted to answer him like she had done with Derek. She was pleased with herself when she remembered.

"I'm . . . lost. Yes, that's it, lost."

The black dragon glanced down at her, and she could almost see his raised browridge. The skepticism rolled off him.

"Do you think me dull-witted, female? Can you not feel my mark? You and the rest of your ilk are not welcome here." The dragon's mental voice lashed out at Anzu and she flinched, finally rediscovering the useful fleeing kind of fear.

"I don't know what you are talking ab-"

"Silence! I will not hear lies. Those meddling clutchmates you call kin have been sending young females just like you my way for centuries. I will not help you breed my own destruction, I will not send you back heavy with eggs so that you can raise my blood to return and defeat me. This is my territory and you are trespassing. I thought I sent a clear message last time. I will have to kill you this time to make them understand!" he snarled with such fury that it shook the volcano.

Anzu was shocked. Whoever the he was talking about she was very glad she was not a part of them. The shock gave way to outrage and anger. She had done _nothing _and here this stupid male was saying some offensive words to her when he knew nothing.

She bared her teeth at him, knowing that this would probably kill her but the need to fight rang through her. Anzu flung herself at him, barreling into his chest. He obviously didn't expect that so she had pushed him back quite a bit. But he got himself together quick and pushed her back.

He came at her with his two sharp horns and she met his with her silver ones. When she crashed with his her head rang for a moment before she got herself together and pushed back, digging her claws in the rock below her to try and stop her from sliding too much. But in the end she was shoved backward.

_"No!"_ She thought. Anzu snarled and with her silver teeth she bit down on his neck. The black dragon snarled and had to tumble down with her to avoid injury. They tussled, growling, scratching, and biting until final they broke apart.

Both of them were out of breath, but his crimson eyes danced with flames. His pearl-white fangs bared, she knew that her fangs were bared as well. Anzu was about to lunge at him again when she heard a crack ring out into the air.

Silence.

Anzu knew that if one of them moved the ground would cave in, bringing one of them, or both of them, crashing to the ground. Even though she knew that this black dragon could fly, even he could not take off.

She had to try something; she could not stay here obviously. Suddenly he lunged at her, which caused her to panic, which made her move.

The ground disappeared and she fell, hitting her head on the jagged rocks below. Her last sight before she blacked out was the shadow of massive wings and long, shimmering claws descending over her.

* * *

For Atem, life was good. He enjoyed his hibernation, all five hundred years of sleeping. He toyed with the thought of migrating yet again, but after so many millennia he grew tired of changing worlds, fighting new enemies, and claiming new territory. In over four migrations, he'd never found a better territory on a better world. He faced few challenges now that the "Circle," as they called themselves, had finally ceased their endless plots to destroy him. The dragons native to this world followed the old, hag-like females with their atrophied wings and massive bodies too huge to leave their own lairs. They hated him because from the start he and his friends and brother had refused to obey them, to mate with their females and males and mingle their powerful blood with theirs in hopes of strengthening their own kind.

After centuries of defeat they'd finally given up, or so he believed until he sensed the intrusion in his territory. His awareness covered the entire mountain like a blanket, noting and dismissing the many life forms that traveled over, around, or through his lair. None threatened him or disturbed him, so he left them alone, content to simply sleep and dream-until the feeling of yet another female dragon entering his territory goaded him awake. The last female sent by the Circle returned to them eggless and relatively untouched, though her persistence forced him to physically eject her from his lair.

That had been before this latest hibernation. Resisting her proved more difficult than the previous times. He had not mated since his last migration, and he didn't know if he could resist another female's concentrated seduction.

Though, he had been shocked when he saw her height. He thought he would have to bend his neck a little bit but this time he came face-to-face with bright, light sapphire blue eyes. All of the dragons in this world were small with the exception with those who had good bloodlines and those who had grown old, but even with those he, his brother, and friends usually towered over them.

But this female was maybe two, three humans taller than her, and she looked young, so maybe she was still growing.

She flirted with him openly, responding to his scent in a typical fashion even as he struggled to resist the very feminine scent her own body instinctively released, a signal that she readied for mating. Perhaps he acted a little crueler to her because of anger, interrupted sleep, and frustrated desire. She didn't behave like the others, that was for sure.

Usually they only tried to seduce him, but she had attacked him. She was new at battle, he could tell by the way she fought with him, but she knew how to trust her instincts well enough. Had she bit down on his neck any harder, she probably would have had the chance to kill him. And when the cracking of the ground shattered their battle she froze, not daring to move.

Atem knew that when he lunged for her he was risking himself. Had the ground collapsed under him, he wouldn't even have the chance to take flight.

What made him curious was when she opened her mind to him. He could have sworn that might have done so maybe once, twice? Impossible of course, as dragons communicated telepathically from the moment they hatched.

But what really got him was when she dropped, like a rock. She should have been able to take off with the cliff edge at her advantage.

Sighing internally and cursing all females, especially meddlesome old dragons, he alighted next to her crumpled form and folded his wings. He studied her and again marveled at how much bigger she was than most females. He noticed more clearly in the light of day the glorious colors of her aura, the magic of her spirit. Her aura glittered with violets and blues, a hint of aqua green, and the sparkle of gold. He spotted no sign of the grayish taint of the controlling malice of the Circle anywhere in her aura. In fact, he observed no sign of the deep black of death in her aura either. Unlike himself, this female had never killed another dragon for any reason. Instead, she glowed with life, vitality, and innocence, and they let her come to him. They must _really_ hate her.

She didn't stir, so he moved closer to her. If he had found her like this, or maybe curled up in a little ball he would have thought that she was a sapphire statue. All through the years he had never found another dragon like her. In their small fight he noted the blue flames that sparked off her scales. She was powerful. Her power reminded him of a sword.

At first, the sword is dull, but once taught and skill was honed, and placed in the right hands, the sword became a deadly weapon. That was what this sapphire dragon was. A sword not yet honed.

He touched her mind, wondering about her past, but he was met with an iron wall of pain, misery, and hate. Atem stumbled back in shock. For such a dragon that glowed with life and innocence, she held strong hate. For who, he didn't want to even think of their fate.

Then the female came around. Her draconic healing was erasing any remaining damage from their tussle and the fall.

"I had the most horrible dream, a black _monster_ accused me of something _stupid_ about this 'kin' nonsense. He even tried to kill me just because I flirted with him! How petty can a dragon get? I thought most dragons around here were proud?" she hissed to herself.

She gazed around, taking in her surroundings: jagged rocks, mountain, mountain, crumbly rock, cliff face, black dragon, mount-. Her gaze snapped back to him. She snarled at him and glared.

He snorted. "Why don't you fly, you fool?"

"I can't . . . I don't know how."

"That's impossible; don't the females of your precious Circle share the responsibility for raising and teaching the clutch?"

She snapped at him. "What nonsense do you spout black dragon? I know not of this "Circle" of which you speak. I live alone, I've always been alone."

"So you're telling me you're an orphaned egg, no one taught you anything. You cannot fly but you still managed to survive undetected through human-infested lands to _my_ mountain? I find that hard to believe."

"Believe what you want dragon, and as I do recall, this is truly_ not_ your mountain."

Atem stiffened. Was this female about to challenge him?

"This land to belong to _Mother Nature, _not you." She snorted. She had a point, the mountain did belong to Mother Nature, but right now, he owned it.

"Anyways, I wasn't even going to harm you."

"Harm? I'll admit, you pose a threat, but to harm _me_?"

Anzu bit her tongue, he had a point. Even with her new size, she probably couldn't beat him in a real fight. "O-kay; I meant that I didn't even know you were even here, and I wasn't planning anything against you."

Atem found himself believing her, against his will. She just didn't hold any malicious prevarication in her aura. He didn't think she would even be capable of such a thing. Then he started thinking stupid thoughts and cursed himself for what he said next.

"I suppose you want me to teach you what you need to know to survive?"

"_No_!" The female mentally shouted and then, embarrassed, "I . . . I wouldn't want to impose, I'll just leave you alone." She turned to head back down the mountainside. Atem sighed again, spewing smoke and a few sparks.

"Stop! You can't go back that way. Humans live that way. Most of them will run from you but a few might attack. If you kill one the others will gather together and come at you in masses. Then you have to kill more and it never ends. They breed so prolifically, and despite their short lifespan they have very long memories; you will never be free of them. I will not allow you to enter the valley and cause problems for me. I have enjoyed centuries of peace and quiet and I prefer to enjoy centuries more." _Once I train you and get you out of my territory,_ he privately thought.

"Now accept my offer to train you, or leave my territory over the mountain,_ not_ through the valley."

The female seemed to think about it. Suddenly a spark of skyfire zipped of her wings. Atem nearly chocked. Was she a _storm dragon_ too?

He confirmed it when full-blown skyfire crackled over her wings. _"Oh damn my luck. I not only run into a dragon that can produce blue flames but one can produce skyfire."_ Atem suffered static problems for months after his last encounter with the small but very rare and dangerous storm dragons. But storm dragons should only be able to only do skyfire, and they should be small but here was this blue dragon that had two abilities and she was just about as tall as he was.

Her mother must have been the storm dragon while her father, he didn't even want to go through the types of dragons to find out.

"Very well, I don't want to cause problems for you. I will accept your offer and I thank you for it."

"Don't thank me yet. You have a great deal to learn and I am not patient." He glowered at her for a moment, and then turned away. "We will meet back here after I have hunted. You should hunt as well."

"Hunt?" she looked at him, panic in her eyes even as her stomach growled audibly.

"Ohh, noo. How have you managed to feed yourself?"

"Um—I don't seem to need to eat very much often, I guess." She bowed her head, her claws digging grooves into the rocky dirt.

"Very well, it seems that your lessons begin now. Let's go." Atem didn't bother to take wing, knowing the female wouldn't follow. Instead, he did something he hadn't done since he was a flightless chick and prepared to hunt on the ground. He couldn't believe how badly this day was going. He'd just saddled himself with a young, nearly helpless female. How could he possibly be so unlucky?

Anzu had thought about her choice. It seemed logical, get a dragon who was no doubt older than her to teach her. It wasn't like she was going to loose anything.

Of course, unknown to her, fate had other plans for her.

* * *

Fate's a bitch, isn't she? Just like Life. LOL!

Now, as for their tussle, I must say sorry for that. That sucked for me but I'm not good with fights. :P

If you guys are wondering about what the 'Circle' is you'll find out soon. Right now, the 'Circle' in the enemies at the moment. But I'm going to put twists in. Mwa ha!

Now, as for reviews. I need 20 or 25. (Going in fives.)

Thank you for reading again, and if this chapter wasn't to your liking, I will try harder with chapter 5.

See ya and thanks again!


	5. Lessons

I'm back . . . only for a short time. :(

So, I'm pleasantly surprised about the reviews I got. Now, I need to answer a few questions, one, the reason she didn't scream was because if she did, everyone would have heard her and they would have come running to see her have scales on her skin and her eyes change. She would have been labeled as a demon. Simple as that. So, its either scream and call attention and then be called a demon of be silent and run off. (Personally, I would go with the second choice.)

In this chapter Anzu has a mess up . . . with her tail . . . and a unicorn. Also, in this chapter, you find out if dragons cackle or laugh.

Disclaimer! I own _**NOTHING!**_

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 5

Anzu learned many important lessons in the days that followed her encounter with Atem. Most importantly, she learned to guard her mind well because the telepathic communication used by dragons allowed them to detect stray thoughts, images, and memories that the other dragon failed to conceal.

It wasn't a problem for her, the memories she had when she was human were already fading away. But the very thought of someone finding out a secret that she wanted to keep buried deep within her alarmed her. When she was once a princess, privacy was a big thing with her and the servants knew that.

Fortunately for Anzu, she'd spent her entire life behind a mask, so covering most of her thoughts were easy.

The first few days Atem spent teaching her the fine art of hunting. Anzu didn't find the experience pleasant in the beginning. Never in her life had she needed to hunt her own food, nor did she enjoy terrorizing a small animal simply for the sport of it, so she didn't even join the many hunts that nobles at court and in their country estate often engaged in. However, hunting to assuage the unending hunger that gnawed at her gut proved a different matter entirely. Apparently, dragons possessed a voracious appetite during the times they remained awake. Anzu discovered early on that dragons spent a great deal of time hibernating. Most likely they did so to avoid consuming every living creature in the world.

To Anzu's relief, humans didn't find their way onto Atem's menu. It seemed that, despite what the fairy tails said, dragons did not prefer nor even particularly like eating humans, virgins included. When questioned about eating human because Anzu just had to know, Atem confessed that he'd eaten one or two when he was young and inexperienced and vowed never to eat one again.

Instead, they hunted the range beasts that Anzu recalled reading in a book that referred them as equinos. The creatures appeared similar to the domestic horse save for the set of lethal horns that extended up and back from their heads. They ran on cloven hoof and boasted a long, thin tail that ended in a puff of soft hair. Anzu found them absolutely beautiful and she hated to kill such magnificent creatures, but Atem insisted impatiently that she catch one and eat it. When Anzu did so, she found that they tasted as lovely as they looked.

Anzu soon discovered the joy of the hunt. It wasn't the cruel torment of those nobles who harried a tiny and helpless woodland beast to death. She hunted for survival and, though singly the equinos posed little threat to a dragon, as a herd. Each meal became a challenge, a hard chase over rolling grasslands. Still reluctantly learning to fly, Anzu hunted primarily on the ground and found the sport far more dangerous than Atem's method of swooping out of the sky and snatching prey before the herd even sensed him. Anzu sparked of many stampedes before she learned the stealth and ambush methods Atem claimed most dragons learned shortly after hatching. Atem, though often sarcastic and impatient, proved very effective as a teacher.

By the third day, Anzu discovered that the normally serious and reticent dragon also possessed a sense of humor. Unfortunately, his humor came at her expense. He'd selected a training ground as far from any human settlement as he could find. Northeast of Thunder Mountain, sheltered by the cluster of mountain ranges that spread almost all the way to the Frozen Sea, laid a secret valley, accessible only from the air of a very long hike. Anzu walked. Not liking the idea Atem gave for her to ride on his back. She smacked him with her tail lightly saying that he probably didn't have the strength to carry her. But the unicorn really did it though.

Anzu had finished a hunt and allowed the sedative effect of a full belly to lull her into a state of intense relaxation. The next thing she knew a unicorn had appeared out of no where and stepped on her nose, or snout, whatever dragons called it. She shrieked and lifted her head so the unicorn would stop stepping on her!

The unicorn was thrown off some but got his balance back and went to ram at her! She stepped back to avoid the horse but forgot about the new additions of her new form and tripped over her own tail and tumbled down backwards in a very small valley. The unicorn looked down at her and snorted, then went away.

Anzu was pretty close to turning the damn thing into a sapphire statue! She climbed up out of the valley, once out, she heard laughter.

Do dragons cackle? Oh no, they simply roll around in the grass roaring with laughter and clutching their sides, unconcerned by how foolish they look, snorting and snuffling and lighting portions of the meadow of fire.

Anzu growled and looked at the grass. Then she thought about her ability to turn things to sapphire. She concentrated and only let the grass tips turn into hard, sharp points of sapphire.

Smirking she stalked pass the idiot dragon even now crushing an entire field of flowers and grasses with his mirth, coming very close to the spot she used her ability on. She huffed her way back over the mountain she went into Atem's cave.

A few minutes later he came back grumbling.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked innocently. He turned to her and eyed her before he spoke.

"I sat on some sapphire." He mumbled.

She appeared to be confused. "I don't understand?"

"I sat in a portion of the grass right after you left, and that portion of grass for some reason was tipped with sapphire hard tips." He growled. Anzu caught a hint of blue on his rear. This time, she laughed.

* * *

The next cycle Atem deigned to explain how the unicorn appeared out of thin air. Apparently, unicorns traveled by moving between two planes of existence. They used what he called a planar corridor to escape from threats, move past obstacles such as mountains, and generally appear wherever it pleased them. Unfortunately for Anzu, the unicorn didn't pay careful attention when exiting the corridor.

"But, I read somewhere that unicorns are supposed to be gentle, good, and kind." Anzu muttered to herself.

Atem heard it and barely contained his laughter in his reply, but Anzu saw golden sparkles dancing through his aura anyway. "I don't know what you were reading but in every world I've seen, the unicorns never change. They are nasty, mean-spirited, and ill-tempered beasts. Humans for some reason are the only creatures that seem to find those beasts fascinating. In one world the people worshipped them as harbingers of goodness and purity. Imagine that!"

"But-I don't know-they just look like they should be nice."

"Oh yes, of course. The lethal, two-foot-long horn just shouts _peace _and_ love_." He said sarcastically.

"Good point." She muttered. "And aren't dragons ill-tempered too?" she pointed out.

"Yes, but not as much as them. Though, I do agree that some dragons like that damned Circle are too ill-tempered."

"You mentioned the Circle before. Who are they? Why are they so dangerous?"

"When I first arrived in this world after my last migration . . ."

"What's a migration?"

"One thing at a time, little one, I will explain migration later. I am not even certain if you can perform such a feat. Only dragons of a certain heritage can migrate across world. But I digress." He cast a wry look at Anzu, her boundless curiosity literally sparking off her scales and across her wings. "The native dragons of this world choose to live together in linked lairs, though I cannot imagine why. They occupy this cave city for the majority of their lives, and a circle of ancient, withered, hag-like females controls all of their actions from the main caverns where they make their own lairs."

"It's it normal for a dragon to congregate?"

"Apparently on this world it is, but no, I have never seen the practice before and I have met many dragons on many worlds. They have all lived as I do; they claim a territory and choose a lair, fighting for the privilege if they must. They live alone unless they choose to seek a mate to spread their bloodline."

"Then do they live together with their mate?"

"Of course not, but, I know a few who have found their soul mate, but for the most time, once the male is assured that the female is heavy with eggs, they return to their lair and continue living out their days in peace and quiet."

"It sounds lonely." She whispered.

Atem looked at her for a moment before he spoke. "You think it is better to live under the thumb of the Circle, puppet to their never-ending machinations? Would you choose crowded living conditions and over-hunted territories over a bountiful and spacious territory?"

"Well, not when you put it that way, but what I meant was, would it be nice to meet your soul mate? To have chicks with her and to watch those chicks grow? To teach them, and to watch them as they catch something on their first hunt and feel proud of them. Would it be so horrible to see them do something, when they are young, amazing?" she countered. Surely there was something in that stone heart he claimed to have.

He watched her for a time before he answered. "Yes, it would be nice to do those things, but that does not change the fact that dragons should never pack together in large groups. I'm surprised that a dragon like you has remained undetected for so long, had the Circle found you, they would have forced you to join and become kin or die."

"So they would see me as a prize because of my size and I'm half . . . what did you call me, a storm dragon?"

"Yes, little one, you _should _be small, but you are not and you posses the power to control skyfire and no dragons' scales can resist the heat of that flame."

"I don't think I want to put that to the test!"

"No, you are not a killer, anyone can see that. That is why the Circle must never gain control of you; they would destroy your spirit and force you to kill your own kind."

"I would never let that happen! I would choose death first!"

"Very brave of you, but the ancient dragons of the Circle are very powerful telepaths and often use mind control on dragons untrained in mental battle. You have an iron wall that not even I can get through, so that would be your first defense, but I will train you the rest of the way so that if you do come to face them in the future, you are ready for them."

"But, how have you managed to stay free for so long from them?"

"Yes, let's get back to that, shall we? When I migrated here so long ago, I sought a territory and instead found the Kin enclave. They saw me coming and the old females practically drooled in anticipation. I am of Cindara's bloodline and the Circle couldn't wait to capture me and begin breeding enforcers that could spread their sickness to other worlds."

"You said you were with others, and who's Cindara?"

Atem sighed heavily. "I will never finish this tale if you keep asking questions. Cindara is, well, if we worshipped gods the way humans do, you would call her our Goddess, but in actuality she is the second dragon the Creator ever made and she controls portals to other worlds and migrate. And yes, I came with my brother, and some more friends."

"The same size as you?"

"Well, the only one is Seto but he was a big egg before he hatched so his size was to be expected, but he's an inch shorter than me. The males are just inches shorter than me while the females are a bit shorter than you."

"So, that's why my size surprised you at first?"

"Yes, now, may I continue with the original story?"

"Do go on . . ."

"Thank you so much for your permission." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I fought off their enforcers, I shrugged off their mental compulsions, and I destroyed a good portion of their enclave before moving on to seek a suitable territory. They didn't appreciate my answer or the others to join them and spent the next hundred or so years sending warriors to kill me since I was the one to destroy most of their things. After they lost too many male dragons, they started sending females to tempt me, hoping I would send her back heavy with chicks of my bloodline."

"I see, that explains a lot. What did you do with the females? You didn't . . . kill them, did you?"

He snorted in outrage. "That is something I would never do. I may say it to threaten one but I would never carry out the act. It is ingrained in our blood, our ways to _never_ kill a female. But I wasn't kind or gentle with them. You should know, little one, that I am still not entirely convinced that the Circle didn't send you. After so many others failed they may have thought that an innocent and naïve young female could win past my guard."

"Ah! How could you even think that? I would never participate in something so dishonest and evil!"

"Perhaps not knowingly. I do not think you are capable a situation to their advantage, and the Circle spends their entire life dreaming up new manipulations."

"So you think they sent me here without me realizing it? That I am a puppet for them?"

"I told you they were strong empaths; they could just as easily implant orders for you to appear at my lair, with no memory of how you got there or why you'd come."

Anzu felt rejection and sadness tighten her throat. She was starting to like Atem and enjoyed his company-and he still didn't trust her. "How can I prove to you that I am not part of their group?" She tried to keep her hurt to herself but Atem sensed it anyway.

"Do not fear, little one, I know you are not like them. If they sent you to me then they will find out that not only will they never have me, but they have lost you as well. I will protect you from them."

Atem didn't like the feeling of pain issuing from Anzu's spirit, and he didn't understand why it bothered him. The emotions of other dragons never affected him before. He realized that he just vowed to protect something other than himself or his territory. Taking on such a responsibility provided its own form of enslavement, but for some reason the thought didn't alarm him. Instead he looked over at the sapphire dragon beside him, her aura dark with hurt feelings, and felt a fierce desire to stand between her and any threat she faced. He struggled to find something else to say that would soothe the wound he himself caused. An idea occurred to him. Knowing her endless curiosity, satisfying it should snap her out of her sadness.

"Would you like to see my hoard?" Did he just say that? It sounded so . . . juvenile.

It did the trick, however. Anzu's head snapped up and she responded with alacrity, her aura turning from dark gray to a bright white, silver, and gold aura. "You have a hoard! Really? What's in it? Gems, gold, magical weapons?"

Atem sighed, secretly pleased at her enthusiasm and unnaturally nervous about showing her his life's collection of things precious to him. "You shall have to wait and see. Let us hunt and then we will return to my lair."

"Alright! Let's go!" and like a snake, she crawled quickly over the mountain to their usual hunting ground. Atem watched her go, impressed by her speed to crawl and run that quickly.

Her head peeked into his view again and she glared at him. "You can fly, come on." And once again disappeared. He chuckled and took off after her.

* * *

They arrived back at the lair at sunset; Atem was determined to teach her to fly the next opportunity. He didn't want her to get too used to the ground. They filed into his lair and walked through the twisting tunnels.

Anzu vaguely recognized the same tunnels she traveled previously and even spotted the deep groves where she dug her claws in.

"You surprised me, you know." He said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"When you fought back, I didn't expect that. It probably saved you from my breath weapon." He said.

She thought about that but at the mention of his breath weapon she wondered about her own. "Hey Atem."

"Yes Anzu?"

"Have you ever heard of a breath weapon that can turn things into sapphires?"

He turned to face her. "No, but my mother once told me that the Creator made other dragons."

"What type were they?"

"What you're thinking of is a Gem Dragon. You know the gems, right? I'll give you the basics. There is a sapphire dragon, a ruby dragon, a rose dragon, an amethyst dragon, and there are many more but I dare not say them all. Even Cindara fears them."

"Why?"

"Because, they have the power to turn any human being, any living creature, into the gem they represent. That power, to turn something living into something dead like a gem, is something the Creator should only be able to do."

"But then why did the Creator make them?"

Atem sighed as they came out to an open chamber. She looked down to see the molten core of the volcano. "My mother said that the Creator loved his jewel stone creations. So he wanted to make something living out of them. And with a few magic words from him, there you had it, the Gem Dragons."

"Do you know anything about them?" she asked. So, this was where her ability came from.

"I do know that the Ruby Dragon is a spitfire. Tough and mean but they show compassion here and there. A Rose Dragon will often mate for life, meaning if the male chooses her than he must take her forever. If he does not, the Rose Dragon turns the male into a Rose stone. An Amethyst Dragon, like the stone, is very lucky. Just to stand next to one is lucky. A Sapphire Dragon is noble creature and they have an odd affection for humans, some dragons say that affection was their downfall."

Now that perked her interest. "Downfall? What happened to them" she asked.

Atem snorted and looked over at her. "I have no idea, not even my mother knows what happened to them. The rumor is that too many of them turned into humans and they had spent so much time being a human that they forgot who they really were."

"Oh." She muttered. What a sad fate, to forget being a dragon . . .

Atem turned into a tunnel that opened up to a very large cavern and in that cavern was a huge, no, a mountain of gold coins and gems of all types and there were strands of pearls hanging from the ceiling. Lethal weapons wore sheaths of gold and pieces of armor shared space with bolts of silken cloth that spilled from ironbound chests.

Anzu noted that many of the items didn't look like anything she had ever seen in her entire life. Over in the corner lay a suit of armor made entirely of a luminous green stone, delicately and skillfully carved, Helms in a style unknown to the southern lands dotted the treasure trove, runes and decorative carving and gliding suggesting their purpose was solely ceremonial. An entire armory of weapons lined up against the far wall, many whose use and design were completely unknown to her.

Atem watched her as she surveyed his treasure. He noted the awe and wonder swirling through her aura. He hoped she saw the treasure as he did, rather than as an object of greed, He collected each piece of treasure and every coin from the many lands he traveled. He earned every priceless gem, magical or simply beautiful, from long journeys and deadly quests. Some he pried from the clutches of other dragons that he bested in combat or in riddles. Many of the weapons he took from the legendary warriors he defeated when they challenged him in hopes of further distinguishing themselves. A dying warrior, honored by his mere presence, gifted him the jade armor. Every gem, every sword, every shield of helm; they all held a meaning and represented the life Atem led.

Suddenly he wanted Anzu to feel the same awe and wonder for him as she did for his treasure. He wanted her to understand that this hoard represented a part of him-a story of his life-and whenever he sifted through it, he returned again to the memories of past glories. He couldn't tell her this; he needed for her to understand it on her own. He couldn't say why it became important to him; he lacked experience with such a strange desire. Lust he understood; he accepted his lust for the sapphire dragon; but this proved completely outside of his knowledge, something he couldn't find a memento of in his collection of gleaming memories.

Anzu studied the jade armor; she softly caressed the jeweled hilt of a massive broadsword wrested from the grip of a Calgorian knight on a world much like this one. The touch of her slender claw on the metal resonated, and Atem felt as if that claw caressed him in the same fashion. He stifled a groan as she continued to handle and examine his things, peering into his private life as innocently as she did everything, unaware of the effect it had on him. He waited in agony, steeling himself for her final reaction. After what seemed like hours she turned to him, her eyes blazing brighter then the soft gleam of gold surrounding her.

"This is you, isn't it?"

Atem nearly collapsed with relief. She understood. Anzu didn't wait for his reply; to overwhelmed to notice his reaction, she continued.

"I can see it! These coins; they are from places that don't exist here. These weapons and that armor were never made on this world. Everything here is as complex, powerful, and epic as you are. This is your _life_, laid out before me! Atem," Anzu turned to him, her heart pounding. "I am honored that you showed me this. I . . . I don't know what to say."

"You've already said enough, little one. Come, it has been a long day and I'm tired. We shall rest because tomorrow I am going to teach you how to fly whether you're ready or not." Atem turned away, shaken by whatever alien emotion afflicted him, and proceeded into the main carven.

Anzu took one last look at the golden hoard behind her, startled by the stab of lust she experienced glancing over the many tokens of Atem's long and storied life. She felt more startled that the lust wasn't for the wealth before her but the dragon it represented. She followed him into the main cavern and they settled in to rest.

* * *

There ya go, chapter five. I have to be quick. It's late an if mommy finds out this story will never finish.

Thank you and good by . . . for now.


	6. First Flight and Burning Humanity

Hi there! I'm grounded but that won't stop me from updateing! Ya!

Anyways, in this chapter something happens to Anzu's humainty. Here we go!

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 6

Anzu twisted her wings slightly and rode the air current even higher with Atem following her closely, watching her to make sure she didn't do a fatal mistake. Occasionally he barked out orders on how to move her wings or turn her body. She decided, once she figured out how to stay aloft, that flying was fun.

Though dragons were heavy but because of their muscular wings, that didn't even matter. But they still flew with a little use of magic. Most dragons, Atem had explained, only used that magic when extreme speed was needed. That was it.

When Atem had woken her up that morning she reluctantly followed him, knowing that whatever she did today would probably embarrass her for the rest of her life. But when Atem taught her he didn't joke around, he was completely serious. He explained that one wrong move could mess up her flight and have her falling like a rock before she could catch herself.

That simple explanation hit Anzu like he had just used his tail to smack her on the head, one wrong move in flight and she could hurt herself or even worse, kill herself. Atem started out small. He had found a small, but tall cliff and had her glide off it until she could remain afloat. Once she had completed that he moved to a higher cliff, and it continued like that until he brought her to a complete drop-off.

"You must be crazy to think that I'm going to jump off and potentially kill myself!"

"Please, you'll be fine, and besides, what's life if you don't take risks?"

"A life with no broken bones and not getting into any danger."

Atem snorted. "You certainly didn't think like that when you entered my cave and when you threw yourself at me like a battering ram." Anzu had squealed in outrage and whipped her tail at him which caused a small tussle with no winner.

After a few more fights Atem finally got her into the air and she was enjoying it. He taught her the basics, turning, speeding up, slowing down, and diving. He even gave her a few targets. He had asked her if she had seen the hawks before. She responded with a yes so he explained that she needed to dive for targets.

Three out of five she caught, but one she almost had and the first time she tried to do it. When she tried to do a trick he scolded her and told her no tricks after she got used to flying.

They flew over a swampy area she had never seen before. "Atem."

"Hmm?"

"What are the different habitats in the mountain? I always thought that you found swamps near the ocean."

"That is true, most can be found near the ocean, but in the mountains you have ice and snow always melting, and that water has to go somewhere, and this is one of the places it goes." He explained.

They circled the swamp a few times before they started to head back when Anzu felt a wave a pain fill her. She gasped and tried to hide it but Atem caught the emotion before she put it behind the iron wall. He turned to her, his eyes narrowed. "Anzu . . . what's wrong?"

"I . . . don't . . . kn-" but she blacked out before she could say anything else, and fell to the ground. The last thing she heard was Atem roaring her name.

* * *

Atem had felt the wave of pain from Anzu and started to worry. He wondered if he was going too hard on her but she had gotten plenty of rest and he didn't push her too hard.

But when she fell from the sky like a dead weight it scared many years from him, that was for sure. He had tried to catch her before she hit the ground but instead of his claws grabbing her, he grabbed air.

He dived after her but he didn't catch her in time as she collided with the ground, the mud dirtying her sapphire scales. Landing beside her he looked over her to make sure nothing was wrong and to his relief, nothing was wrong.

But keeping her out here like this, after dark was a bad idea. Dragons may have few enemies but that doesn't mean other creatures will prey upon ill and wounded ones.

Picking her up as gentle as he could and putting her on his back he walked slowly back to the cave so he could watch her properly.

* * *

Anzu opened her eyes to darkness. Where was she? Looking around all she saw was darkness and seemingly endless space. "Hello?" she called out.

There was silence before she heard a soft cry. Something that sounded hauntingly familiar. Walking forward toward the sound she came up against a wall, maybe a mirror?

Walking up to the mirror like wall she did not meet the image of her dragon self, instead she was met with her human self. Brown chocolate hair and sapphire blue eyes, but her skin was pale, she looked like a walking dead person. Dark circles under her eyes and her gaze looked almost dead except for one thing.

A spark of hope was in them, and Anzu knew what that hope was for. Her human self wished her back, to be human again. This . . . corpse was the part of her heart that held on being a human.

Her human self stepped forward, hand extended. A simple gesture, one that was now alien to her now. She snarled and the human stopped. Anzu had only been a dragon for a short time but already she welcomed this form. She could fly, control skyfire, and turn things into sapphires, all this just to become a dragon. This was _freedom_!

But what had her human form offered her? Nothing, just pain. Memories of her father, many happy, but some sad. The dark memories she gained when he married her step-mother. But the darkest memories were those of her mother. She didn't know what she looked like, only given a vague description about her, brown hair and pale, icy blue eyes. That was all she was given, nothing else.

Her father had sand blond hair with some gray and hazel eyes; she knew that she got her looks from her mother.

Suddenly a shriek pulled her from her thoughts. Anzu looked over to see her human self being burned in blue flames, being consumed . . .

That's when it hit, her humanity was burning away. She didn't try to stop it, the blue flame was almost impossible to stop. The screams continued until slowly, very slowly, they faded away.

When the flames finally disappeared the only thing that was left was a faded shadow. Even with her dragon sight she could barely make out her old self. The memories of her father, when she was human, were shadows now. Almost nothing. She couldn't even remember the fields of flowers she ran around in when she was a little girl, with her father behind her, playing tag.

Anzu only remembered the actions. She ran, her father ran, they were playing tag, but she couldn't picture the field. Her memories were in darkness. She couldn't even remember the castle!

Only certain memories stuck out. Derek, her real mother, and the Queen. Her real mother's memories were practically screaming. But they caused her to question them. Was her mother a sapphire dragon? Or, could she have been half sapphire dragon?

And Derek! How could she have forgotten Derek? After all he had done for her she didn't give him anything but tell him that she loved him. She had to get back to him somehow, or bring him to her. But, he vowed to serve . . .

The Queen. She would be the first to suffer. Anzu would turn her into a sapphire statue then turn the statue into sapphire _dust_.

Suddenly a familiar pressure, a mind, pressed against her iron wall.

Atem.

Oh gods! She probably caused him heart attacks for falling like that! Anzu steeled her mind and forced herself to go back to reality.

* * *

Atem sat in front of Anzu, trying to reach her mind. He had been close once, he even felt her respond to him, but she escaped again. He caught her one last time and this time her body shuddered and her eyes flickered open.

"Anzu?" he whispered softly.

"Ow. How hard did I hit the ground?" she groaned. Atem sighed with relief. Like a cat, he curled his tail around him and tucked his claws under him.

"You hit the ground hard, but you healed. I am more concerned as to _why_ you fell."

"I have no idea. My mind feels fuzzy." She muttered. Getting up slowly to test her muscles. Atem noted immediately that she had grown some.

"You've grown."

"I have?" she asked as she looked at herself and then down at him. "Stand up."

Atem sighed and stood up in front of her. To his surprise she grew more than he expected. Now she was maybe a human away from being the same size as him. "Wow, so I have grown. Dang and I thought I stopped."

"Sometimes a dragon never stops growing."

"Really?"

"Yes, now tell me wha-" but before he finished something, or someone for that matter, landed right on his back.

"Who dares . . ." but he stopped when he spotted a golden colored dragon. "Oh no, why are you here Chaya?" he groaned.

"What? I can't see my favorite brother?"

Anzu looked over to see a blond-golden colored dragon. Her eyes seemed to be a blue-gray-green color, (blue being the main color) and her neck-spikes were tipped with the color of turquoise. She was maybe four humans shorter than him.

"How is she your sister?" she asked. Atem looked over at her and sighed.

"Though, as impossible as it seems, she is my youngest sister. She takes after our mother. Chaya, this is Anzu." He said.

Chaya looked over at Anzu with wide eyes. "Wow! You're almost the same size as Atem!"

"Chaya . . ." Atem warned.

"Oh fine!" she snapped. "Sorry, it's just; my brother's the biggest dragon, besides my mother, that I know."

Anzu relaxed. "It's alright. So, are any more coming or are you the only one?" she asked. Chaya shrugged, looking away from Atem.

"Chaya, for the love of gods tell me who else is coming?" he snapped.

She ignored him.

He glared at her before gritting out each word between his clenched teeth. "I'm. So. _Happy_. To. See. You. Chaya. Now tell me. Who's coming?"

This time Chaya bounced with happiness. "Yugi, Rebecca, Seto, and Kisara."

Atem growled. "Why the damn lovebirds? Anyone but the lovebirds." Anzu looked over to see Chaya snickering at him as he banged his head against the rock wall.

"Lovebirds?" Anzu asked. Chaya answered her.

"Yep, Yugi is my other big brother and Rebecca is his soul mate. Same goes for Seto and Kisara."

Anzu made an 'oh' sound and turned to watch Atem, who was still hitting his head. "You know that won't help. You heal too fast." He turned to glare at her and sighed.

"I know it won't help. Gods, I should just kick them out."

"But I want to meet them!" Anzu said.

Atem turned to her and for a few moments there was silence before he spoke.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

* * *

It's short. I'm sorry.

But hey, I updated. So, any questions if something confused you, ask away.

About her Humanity. I had to have it burn away. The spell that Derek put on her makes her forever a dragon. Her humanity couldn't stay.

Thanks for reading! See ya soon!


	7. From a good start off to a bad

Hey there! It's been a while. Sorry, school has me tied up a lot now and stuff. With this Chapter, I don't really know how good I've done. I've been so out of it, making good chapters. So I ask that you have some patience with me, especially with this chapter. Please enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 7

Anzu was a little nervous, other than Atem; she hadn't seen another large dragon. Though she had no idea why that worried her. Atem noticed her discomfort.

"What're fidgeting about now?" he sighed.

"Well, am I bigger than Seto now or am I still a few inches from him?"

"You're about the same size as him, but he follows the code just as I do, males do not harm or kill females." he explained.

Chaya bounced in then. "They're here, they're here!"

Atem groaned. "Already?" Chaya nodded and rushed to the entrance of the cave squealing all the way. Anzu watched her go and then turned back to Atem.

"I take it she likes your brother?"

He nodded. "She does, though its not a surprise since she's the youngest."

"I thought it would be the other way around."

He chuckled and shoock his head. "Not with us."He turned to the entrance of the cave then. "So you four, come to bother me again?"

"Oh shut it brother, I just came to see you, and your . . . apprentice." he said, as though trying to think of the right word.

Anzu puffed up at the words and turned to Atem and glared at him a silent message, _make him take it back!_He sighed and turned to the owner of the voice. "I would take that back, Yugi. You know females have a horrible temper when you make them angry.

"Female! _You_ have a _female_ living with you? Oh Creator! Its history in the making!"

"Yugi . . ." Atem warned but he was on a roll now.

"Is she small like the rest of them? I bet she's an ugly color like most are in this world."

Anzu clenched her teeth at the voice. Although she couldn't see him at the moment she knew where he was and with her long tail she lifted it up and . . .

WHACK!

"Ow!" he cried out. Some voices that Anzu hadn't heard before chimed in and she could have sworn she heard Chaya laughing. "Who did that?"

Anzu decided to show herself then and let some skyfire zip off her wings, lighting the cave in an icy blue light. She got to see Yugi then. He looked like Atem . . . except for his size. He must have been three humans shorter than Atem and only a human taller than Chaya.

Yugi looked up at her with wide eyes. "Who are you?"

"His _apprentice_." She sneered. His eyes got a lot bigger and he looked between his brother and her.

"How . . . ?"

"I warned you Yugi, but no, don't listen to me, I give the worst ideas ever." He sniffed. Yugi glared at him and turned to Chaya.

"You knew . . ."

"Of course I did! Oh boy! What I wouldn't give to that again! Anzu, please whack him again! It was so funny!" she laughed, holding her sides. Yugi grumbled something that Anzu couldn't catch and shuffled over to another dragon. She was like Chaya, in color, but she didn't have the turquoise on her neck spikes. Instead she had a pale gold color on the spikes.

Chaya noticed her staring and decided to do the introduction. "Alright, since Atem doesn't feel like telling about everyone, I will. The one you hit was my second older brother, Yugi, and the dragon beside him is Rebecca. Now, the two back there," she said pointing out a white dragon and another blue dragon, only, his color was darker, it reminded her of a Capri Blue crystal. "Is the other couple of the group. Seto, the dark blue one, and Kisara is the white one."

Anzu nodded in greeting and they did the same.

After that, time seemed to speed up. Kisara had a soft voice, almost like the gentle whisper of the wind while Rebecca's voice was loud, but in a pleasant way. They became fast friends and gave her some female advice.

Anzu had to admit, it was nice to talk to a female for a change. Right in the middle of one of their conversations she noticed that Kisara had a bag . . . odd, Atem said that dragons usually don't carry bags.

"Hey Kisara, what's in that bag?" she asked while pointing to it.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell everyone."

"Tell us what?" Kisara now had everyone's attention.

"Well, while I was flying over the forest I noticed something shiny, so, you know me, and I wanted to see what it was. When I landed I came to a clearing and spotted this." She said, holding out a large sapphire.

"Well now," Atem said. "You don't see sapphires that large. You should keep that safe." Everyone agreed, except for Anzu. She was in shock, that was the sapphire that was on her dress at the party! Her _mother's _sapphire!

Blue and white skyfire zipped off her. Rebecca squealed while the others had to scramble back to stay clear of it. Anzu continued to stare at her sapphire. Atem looked at her annoyed. "Anything you would like to explain Anzu?"

"That's . . . that's my mother's sapphire." She whispered.

Kisara's eyes widened. "Your mothers, but, why did you leave it in the clearing?"

"A Queen, she saw it and wanted it, when I said no she got a wizard to try and get it." She lied. Well, there was some truth to it. The Queen had seen it before and wanted it, but, she never did get it. "Kisara, can I . . . have it back, I've been missing it."

Rebecca spoke then. "Just because it was yours to begin with doesn't mean she has to hand it over!"

Anzu snarled and rounded on her. "I had a bad run in with a stupid Queen and wizard that forced me to drop the sapphire! If I have to I'll fight for it I will!"

Atem was shocked to see what was unfolding here, what should have been a normal meeting was getting out of hand. Rebecca may have been a Dragon God, or Dragon Goddess, but against Anzu it was obvious about who was going to win. Anzu's aura was not alight with different colors; it was one single color of a deep blue, anger.

"Yugi, pull Rebecca back, now."

"Got it." He replied. He grabbed her tail and yanked until she got the message to back off. Atem stepped between Kisara and Anzu and asked her softly.

"Kisara, could you give that back to her? It _did_ belong to her mother."

"Of course!" she said and held out the sapphire. Anzu took it and whispered a thank you and walked away to her corner. Now, everything would have ended there had it not been for someone's broken pride and ego.

Rebecca's tail swished out and tripped Anzu.

A growl of rage ripped out and she lunged for the other female. Now, in the code of dragons, males can't hurt or kill females, but it didn't say anything about females hurting or killing other females.

Anzu's rammed Rebecca and slammed her into the wall, causing the cave to lurch about dangerously. Flames and skyfire clashed and claws flashed.

Atem knew that if he or anyone else didn't stand between them one of them would end up dead. Taking a deep breath he reached for his fire element and called it. A moment ago there was a black dragon standing there, now, there was a dragon made up of flames.

"Enough!"

The fight stopped and Anzu took a few steps back. Rebecca continued to glare.

"Rebecca!" he snarled. This was his home and he be dammed if he was going to let them destroy it. She backed away with her ego and pride even more scratched up. "I think it's time you guys left so you can cool down. And Rebecca, had you not tripped her, this wouldn't have happened. Go cool down, and then, I will let you come back here."

Kisara, Seto, and Chaya left, but unlike Rebecca, they said good-bye to Anzu as Yugi did. Once they left there were a few moments of silence before he spoke again. "Mind telling me what is so important about the sapphire?"

"I told you, it was my Mother's. The only thing I have of my mothers."

"Your bad run in with a wizard and a Queen?"

"All true. You must know of the Queen that's wasting away into nothing."

"Ah, that one. Yes, I've heard of her. Derek serves her."

Anzu turned to face him. He knew Derek? "How do you know him?"

"His Master, Ulrick, was one of the few humans I befriended. When he decided to take an apprentice he found the boy, in some village, and took him to see me one day."

"And . . . ?"

"I also befriended him. Even though he's now a wizard I still call him Little Derek."

"Why?"

"Because he hates it when he's called like that." He chuckled. Anzu nodded. So, he knew Derek personally. "Was he the wizard you had to face? The one the Queen put you up to? "

She nodded. "Yes and I gave him quite a scare when he saw me. In such a short little conversation he was practically my friend, and proof, he told me to run when I would have been killed by the Queen's knights." Once again, part lie, part truth.

Atem rolled his eyes. "He has a way of doing that, though I don't know how." He muttered. Anzu fidgeted, she hated how the lies rolled off her tongue easily, and also, something else.

"Umm . . . I want to apologize for my behavior. I shouldn't have let my anger get to me like that." She whispered.

"It's fine. Rebecca has some big ego and pride. When someone challenges her she'll fight. She's only been scratched like that four times."

"What?"

"Her ego, there was me, Seto, and Chaya. You are the forth."

"I feel so honored." Anzu said sarcastically. Atem laughed and went over to his sleeping spot.

"Now, sleep. Tomorrow will be more peaceful without the whole group together." He yawned and settled down. Anzu did the same and went over today's events. Not really how she wanted to start something off with a dragon, but, like Atem said, she had been pushing it. Kisara, Seto, and Yugi, now those were the dragons she could get along with.

Sleep beckoned and slowly, with a tight grip on her mother's sapphire, she fell asleep.

* * *

Alrighty, now, if you enjoyed this chapter then I'm happy. :) If you find it somewhat disapointing, I'm sorry and I'll try my best next chapter.

Thank you and see ya!

Germantownmaiden~


	8. Starting a hoard

Alright, I know, I know. It's been a while.

Now, I have a few reviewers who think they can kill me. That would be seabreeze17. Now let me tell you something right now, first of all, you kill me and I have no doubt everyone is going to kill you because with me dead, I can't continue the story. Now wouldn't that be a shame? Second, I'm already dead. :P bleh.

I'm sorry for the wait, peeps! Here is the eighth chapter!

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 8

Anzu woke up feeling the warm glow of the lava pit against her side. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she looked up and around. Atem wasn't in his sleeping spot . . . maybe he went hunting.

Getting up, she shuffled around until she came to the cave room that held his hoard. He was sitting on top of it sifting through it, a dazed look in his eyes. _"He must be going through memories.'_ She thought, sitting just outside the room.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted something that she was drawn to, but she stopped herself. This was Atem's hoard; she couldn't just walk in and look through it.

He turned to her then. "I was wondering when you would get up." He said.

"Atem . . . can I look at some of your treasures?"

He looked at her for a moment before shrugging. "I don't mind, just don't break anything."

"Yes sir." She hummed and sat across from him and looked at the gold coins. Anzu had a nice little hole by the time she found a sword. Picking it up, she studied it for a moment before raising her head. "Atem, how do I begin collecting my own hoard?"

The sword in her clawed hand hummed with energy, drawing it to her despite the large amounts of treasures and gems all around her. It wasn't particularly ornate and boasted not one gemstone on its hilt. The worn and pitted blade and the blackened leather wrapping the grip showed years of continued use. Some force surrounded the nondescript weapon, and despite an undoubtedly violent history, that force did not feel malevolent.

Atem glanced up and returned from his journey of memories. "Hmm? Ah yes, starting your own hoard. That is an admirable goal. Most dragons possess piles of gold and at least some gems in their hoard by the time they reach adulthood."

"Where do I find such things?"

"Now there's the trick. Some dragons simply demand tribute from lesser races and form their hoard that way. Other dragons steal the majority of their hoard."

"I don't want to do any of that! I want my hoard to be like yours, a collection of memories and trophies from adventures."

"Good, I hoped you would say that. I have never resorted to tributes or theft for my hoard. Only weak dragons do such things." He sniffed. "A hoard should represent your strength and intelligence. I quested for many of these items, I won trophies from warriors who sought my death, and I gained a great deal of my hoard from fair challenges against other dragons. But for you, you already have a piece to start a hoard."

She tipped her head to the side. "I do?"

"Your mother's sapphire stone." He reminded her.

"Oh yeah!" she said, and then remembered about the other, larger stone that was brought you yesterday. "By the way, did you find that really big gemstone?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." He said, using his tail to point to the corner where a large sapphire stone, that she made, sat.

"Wow," she said. "It's huge!" Anzu looked at it for a time before she turned back to Atem with another question. "Do humans always try to kill you?"

"No. In fact, most humans stay well away from us as long as we stay away from them. Occasionally," he said, with a disgusted look on his face, he looked annoyed too. "Some great 'hero' decides that he must slay the evil dragon and that is when you must decide whether it is worth it to fight them of simply find another place to make your lair."

"I take it you always fight, right?" she asked.

"Of course," Atem snorted fire, "You didn't think I would flee from a human did you?"

"No, I can't imagine you would." Anzu paused and looked down at the sword. "How did you acquire this sword?"

"Ah, you like that one, do you?" Atem approached her and regarded the sword fondly. "I did not kill the bearer of this weapon, but she did attempt to slay me."

_"She?"_

"Of course! In some worlds, women fight alongside their men. This warrior woman served as a heroine to her people, a mighty general that led them to many victories against their enemies. However, she finally met an enemy even she could not defeat."

"You?"

"Okay, she encountered _two_ enemies she could not defeat. I refer to illness. Her baby daughter contracted a virulent disease that slowly claimed the child's life. The healers of her tribe told her that only dragon's blood could save her offspring. So she grabbed her enchanted sword, gifted to her by the Mother goddess her people worshipped, and hunted the only dragon down for miles around."

"Of course, you always claim a large territory."

"Indeed. She challenged me out of desperation. I never deliberately threatened her people and she knew this. When she confronted me in my lair, she preceded her attack by asking my forgiveness for slaying me. Obviously I was intrigued, since most warriors simply charge, they don't plead forgiveness first. So after I disarmed her I asked her why she wished me dead. That was when she told me about her child."

"What did you do?" Anzu asked, totally engrossed with the story.

Atem grew silent, aware that he'd just placed himself in the position of uncomfortable confession. He hoped Anzu didn't think less of him when he told her how the battle with the female warrior ended.

"Atem? You have to tell me now! You can't just leave the story unfinished."

"Very well, I shall tell you, but you must know that I acted out of character for me, understand. What I did in that situation was very unusual."

"Atem!"

He sighed. "She told me about her child and the healer's claim that she needed dragon blood. Of course, I couldn't give her dragon blood, it would make her babe immortal, nor could she take it from me by force or it would be poison for the child. When I explained that dragon blood wasn't the answer she collapsed and wept to her Mother goddess, devastated that she could not save her child . . ." Atem paused, unwilling to continue.

"Quit stalling, Atem! Tell me what you did!"

"It's not really that important now, that was a long time ago . . ."

Anzu grew so frustrated she snatched his wing and bit down, just hard enough to let him know she meant business and he'd better continue. They both shuddered at the contact and the resultant desire neither expected. Anzu pulled quickly away when Atem's eyes blazed.

"Finish the story! Please!" she scooted away meekly, unnerved by his reaction and her own.

Atem shook himself, the brilliant crimson glow fading from his eyes. "All right, if you insist. Her pleas shook me so badly that I felt myself . . . hmm . . . uh . . . um . . . uh . . . I . . . uh . . . shed a couple of tears." Atem said quickly, looking away from her, embarrassed beyond measure at the confession.

Dragons didn't weep unless something truly monumental moved them, which explained why dragon's tears proved so rare and highly prized. Well, that and the incredible healing capacity of the tears shed by a magical creature as powerful as a dragon.

"Ohh, that's so . . ." Anzu nearly melted in a puddle of goo on the cavern floor. Her heart, which she suspected was already falling for Atem, caved in and she fell hard. She couldn't believe he didn't want to admit he'd wept at the thought of a dying child and a grieving mother.

"I know it was weak on my part. I was young and inexperienced with humans then. I didn't know how to deal with their messy emotions. So anyway, I gave the woman the tears and told her that they would cure her baby, and she raced away. She returned later and trespassed in my lair again. Apparently, the child not only survived but also thrived, stronger then ever before and immune to any sickness. She wanted to thank me, so she gave me her sword. She claimed it was the greatest treasure she owned. It wasn't much, of course, but I graciously accepted."

That was a lie. The woman's offer stunned Atem. The enchanted sword was a treasure beyond measure for the woman and her people; a divine weapon instilled with the essence of their Mother goddess. At first he refused to accept such a precious gift but the woman insisted and eventually, mindful of losing more of his dignity, he accepted the tribute. He spent many years watching over the woman and her people, determined that the loss of such a divine weapon would not find them vulnerable to their enemies. Eventually those enemies grew tired of fending off a dragon and left the people alone, and from that moment on, the people carried a black dragon as their standard.

"Atem, I really lo—um, I really like this weapon. It feels so soothing for an instrument of death." Anzu struggled to rally after he crashed through her defenses and laid claim to her heart.

"That weapon was an instrument of life to the people it served. It saved them and their families from slaughter at the hands of ruthless human raiders. There are many different viewpoints, little one." Atem turned away from her and returned to his perusal of his hoard. "Anyway, the weapon suits your spirit more than my own. A feminine deity blessed it. I suppose it is a good treasure to help your hoard along."

"Atem, you're not suggesting I keep this weapon, are you?" It's one of your special treasures!"

"Yes, well, I have many treasures. Now you have two treasures, that's a good start."

"But . . ."

"Don't argue, little one, I've made up my mind." He abandoned his hoard and moved to the tunnel. "I am going to hunt some food, I will return later." He turned to regard Anzu. "Don't leave the safety of the lair, little one. You may go as far as the forest, but stay close, is that clear?"

She nodded. He stared for a while longer, making her shiver slightly before he turned away and left. Once she was sure she was alone, she used his absence to face the stunning revelation she'd just had. She loved Atem, a dragon . . . but what the hell did it matter? She was a dragon as well . . .

Shuffling around in Atem's hoard, she realized that an hour passed. He must be hunting for both of them. When a few more minutes passed Anzu got an itch to move around, to do something.

Getting up, she placed the sword carefully on the ground along with the large sapphire and went outside, welcoming the sun's warmth. She flew to the edge of the forest and once she landed, she spotted a lake, just inside the tree line. It wasn't very far, maybe a few steps, why not take a dip?

She slid in and welcomed the feeling of the cool water against her scales. She opened her eyes and looked around.

The water was very clear and fish that she had never seen before swam around her in different colors and sizes. There was one that had whiskers on it, not to mention it was the size of a human. She followed that fish around for a while, annoying it until she grew bored and got out.

Unfortunately, she didn't notice that the forest had changed on her and that she was in a completely different area now.

"Who is there?" a voice yelled out. It made Anzu's head ring for a second before she turned to where the voice had come from.

Two mud colored dragons came out then, their teeth bared.

"_Oh shoot!"_ she thought as horror sank in.

* * *

Oh no . . . I wonder what will happen? Find out in the next chapter when I feel like updating.

(JK!)

I hope this was a good chapter, and hopefully a little longer then the others.

Thank you for reading!

And before I go, my story, The Troublemakers, the next chapter is being worked on. My former partner, Saria Forest14 is now gone from the YGO area and so, I have had to find a new partner. My new partner will be . . .

Sara Darkotter.

So, if you're going to send me death threats and such, send them to her as well. ^_^

Have a nice day!


	9. Captured

Welcome to the Dragon Princess Special. It's where you get three chapters. I expect plenty of reviews peeps.

Here ya go,

Disclaimer, I own nothing.

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Dragon Princess

Chapter 9

Two, no, four mud colored dragons were facing her, their teeth bared. _"Shoot!"_ she thought. Anzu strengthened her shields against her mind, just in case. A harsh feminine voice ripped into her mind. "Who are you, from where do you hail? You are not one of the Kin."

Anzu looked at all four of them and realized just how small they were. They only came up to her belly, but they were bulky, no doubt strong.

"I am nobody, really. I just lost my way. I didn't mean to trespass, I will leave immediately." She flared out her wings, not only to try and get away from the four ugly females, but to show them that they may have more numbers, but she was much larger then them.

"Halt! You cannot leave here. I am taking you to the Circle. They will decide your fate." Anzu barely restrained herself from growling. If flying hadn't been so new to her she would have taken off in a second. But more dragons appeared then and Anzu knew when to give up, and right now, it was time to give up.

She growled at the males, an orange male and a lime-green male, warning them to stay away. They communicated to her only telling her short commands. They would leave the interrogating for the old queens of their Kin.

They reached the cliffs, the dragons on either side of her but having to stay away from her massive wingspan. When she landed, Anzu noticed that their arrival had almost every dragon peeking out of the many holes that were on the cliff. She couldn't blame them; after all, Atem did say she would shock most dragons.

They went into a tunnel, one that she had to bend her neck down a little bit, and walked into a large cavern. It was filled from head to toe with large amounts of gold, but it did not shine like Atem's. It all looked rather dull.

Anzu turned and saw the worst thing that would continue to take first place in the 'Ugly Award'.

Three ancient females were all massively obese, the excess flesh of their bodies spilled out over the gold coins. Their atrophied wings curled against their back like deformed limbs, unused and forgotten. Flakes of scales peeled from their sides, and their pigment had faded to a murky gray, either out of laziness or ennui. All three appeared nearly identical, differing only in minor and nearly unnoticeable details, like the curve of a horn or the shape of the spine ridge, but they all boasted a boiling, foggy grayish-black aura that moved in her second sight like writhing snakes over their physical forms.

Anzu barely suppressed a shudder and bowed awkwardly in her dragon form. Since these dragons desired the royal treatment, Anzu knew exactly how to act. After all, she'd spent her time as a human pandering to the court and the nobles that practiced their unending intrigues and power plays.

The queens hissed in satisfaction at her gesture of respect. It suited their idea of how they should be treated. This newcomer already proved a pleasant surprise. "Welcome, ssstranger, to our gloriousss city," the queen on the right said, her telepathic voice a sibilant and cold.

"It is an honor to be here before you. I have heard of your mighty city and decided I must see it for myself," Anzu replied, deciding to pander to the ego of these females in the hopes of keeping them out of her head.

"You claimed you were lost!" One of her female enforcers said.

Anzu nodded quickly, irritated at the beastly guard's memory. "Of course, I was so roughly challenged; I grew frightened by the might and strength of your soldiers and made to run away. I am ashamed, for I see now that I would have missed the true majesty of this great city if I hadn't been able to meet you, Your Highnesses,"

The queens hissed again, very pleased with the pretty words of this new dragon. The enforcer fell silent, realizing that her job was finished and she was out of her league within the confines of the Royal Cavern and the subtle machinations that went on there.

"From where do you hail?" the center queen asked.

"I hail from everywhere. I am in orphan since I was first hatched and I made many blunders growing to adulthood, traveling alone into dangerous territory countless times. Fortunately I survived; but when I heard that there was a place such as this where our kind came together to grow even more powerful, I searched until I found it."

So far, the queens hadn't made any attempt to read her mind. She didn't know if she could flatter them enough to delay them.

"What isss your purpoessse here, orphan? Now that you've ssseen the wonder and beauty of our vassst kingdom, what will you do next?" the queen on the left asked.

"I would like to explore more of your kingdom. I would like to meet the dragons that make their home here. I have never met another dragon before. Most of all, it is simply overwhelming to revel in the glory of your exalted presence. I did not know that we dragons could weld such power."

The boiling fog of their auras pulsed and shuddered in pleasure and anticipation. They were pleased with her answer but wanted more from her.

"Do you wisssh to join usss, to become one of the Kin?"

Anzu felt herself reach the critical stage.

"What must I do to join your mighty clan, great ones?"

"Ah, yesss. You must be initiated. It is a long and somewhat . . . painful . . . process, but in the end it will be worth it and you will be one of us," the queen in the center hissed.

"We shall allow you to explore, and then eat and rest. On the morrow you shall return here and we will begin the initiation," the left queen said, her aura writhing in pleasure and anticipation.

Anzu nearly sighed with relief. She'd guessed correctly about these 'queens'; like all pretentious glory seekers, they wanted to make a spectacle of their power, and even with enslaved followers, it took time to gather them all to witness the initiation. She hoped she had enough time to get out of here.

"Escort her to the city and show her around. We want her to feel at home here," the right queen ordered the guards. They bowed uncomfortably, still unused to the gestures of respect demanded by the queens. They motioned to Anzu and she followed.

* * *

Oh no! Anzu's in trouble!

See ya in next chapter!


	10. A Tour through the City

Second part of the special! Here we go!

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 10

The guards did give her a tour of the 'city', which turned out to be little more then tunnels and linked caverns crowded by dragons. Many of the occupants had atrophied wings and shedding scales layered over prominent bones. They appeared to be starving or malnourished and Anzu guessed that they hadn't been outside in many years. She wasn't permitted to speak to those dragons. Instead the guards simply pointed out various sights along the way to the dining hall. Gilded statues of dragons, supposedly the queens themselves, though the magnificent beasts in no way represented the shriveled old creatures in the Royal Cavern, lined every wall. They appeared to watch every dragon moving through the corridors.

They passed by many caverns but there was one that she couldn't refuse to look into, Anzu believed that no female could refuse to resist. In this one, tiny little dragons with adorable, nearly round baby faces stumbled and tripped and fell over their over sized wings as they played with their fellows.

It was a nursery, obviously and the baby dragons looked so _cute_! She walked a little closer, not daring to actually go into the cavern. One baby, a black and gold female, noticed her and slipped closer to see her.

The little chick squealed and touched Anzu's snout briefly before going to turn back to play. Heavy steps told her that an adult dragon was coming out from the soft gloom.

Anzu was at a loss of words. This female's scales were a bright crimson looking like ruby. Her aura looked like fire. "I see you are smart not to come in here." Her golden spines, teeth, horns, and claws glowed brightly.

"I'm sorry if I have disturbed you. I'm new here and when I saw the babies . . . I just, couldn't help it. They're so adorable." She said, her mental voice sounding close to a whisper. The ruby dragon tipped her head to the side.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "I'll leave now." Anzu was about to follow the guards but a snarl stopped the female guard in her tracks. Anzu looked over to see the ruby dragon get a bit closer.

"You said you were new here, correct?"

"Yes."

"From where do you come from?"

"From everywhere, I'm an orphan." Anzu explained. She wasn't lying, but she wasn't giving the whole info.

"Have you undergone initiation yet?"

The female guard yanked Anzu from the ruby dragon. Growling, she bared her teeth to the small guard. "If you wish to eat so badly then go!" she snarled. Turning back to the ruby dragon, she continued. "The queens will initiate me tomorrow. They have graciously granted me the opportunity to rest tonight."

"You think they are gracious, do you? Well, new female, you may be permitted a bit of freedom for now, but soon enough you will be just another commoner. Your kind is forbidden to interact with the clutch. You've seen them; realize that you will never have your own in this city and leave, now." The red dragon turned away, dismissing her.

Before she went to the Dining Cavern, Anzu got one last look at the chicks. When she entered with her annoying guard, she witnessed the largest concentration of dragons.

They pushed, shoved, snarled, and growled at each other as they gnawed away at unidentifiable meat. In the far corner another tunnel, guarded by dragons that actually wore metal armor, led away into a heated cavern that the guard referred to as the kitchen. The guards needed armor; she clarified, because many starving dragons tried to raid the kitchens for more food.

The dragons ate in three meal times. The best and most plentiful food came at first meal, reserved for those arrogant claw-lickers lounging in the Royal Cavern. The soldiers, guards, and craftsdragons ate at second meal, and the left over scraps tossed out to the common dragons, those who were the least powerful and least skilled of the dragons, made up the third meal. Anzu realized why they looked so malnourished. So many dragons in one place must strain the food supply tremendously.

The female guard explained to one of the cooks, Anzu guessed. The dragon left but came back and gave her some meat. Looking down, she lost her appetite for the night.

It was a human thigh.

Struggling not to get sick in front of the other dragons, it took her some time to pass it to the guard, explaining that she was too excited to even eat. The female looked at her curiously until she turned to the meat and chomped down. Anzu turned away, making sure that she didn't see.

When the female was finally done, she led Anzu to a nicly sized cavern. The guard left, leaving her alone thankfully.

The chances of escaping were slim. She had no idea where in the cliffs she lay or how to find an exit. Even if she could somehow move without detection, she didn't think she could fly past the guards she felt certain patrolled the skies. If she was caught trying escape, the queens would try to rip into her mind. But she had some hope. If her iron wall could stop Atem then she stood some chance.

Allowing the slight hopelessness to swamp her for the moment, she laid her head down in sadness and despair. She didn't know if she dozed off or not but suddenly the soft blue glow from the tunnel globes disappeared and Anzu's cave plunged into darkness. She sat up and could make out the form of a dragon that was slightly smaller then herself.

"You guard your thoughts well, stranger, but not enough. The queens' spies are everywhere." The dragon waved a claw and a tiny blue globe burst into light, illuminating them both where they crouched in the cave. Anzu immediately recognized the female from the dragon nursery. She wasn't a dragon one easily forgot.

"Wh-what are you doing here? I apologized for intruding with the nursery."

"That is not why I am here, storm dragon, I came to ask you a question."

Shock flashed through Anzu. "How did you know? I was told that it would be a bit hard to tell what I was because storm dragons are small."

"That is true, but I noticed a spark that the foolish guards missed when you spotted the chicks."

"Oh . . . so the question, what is it?"

"Why are you truly here, storm dragon? Did you actually come to join the city?"

Anzu decided she had little enough to lose at this point in revealing at least some truth. "I grew lost and was about to head home when the guards stopped me."

"So you are not here willingly? You do not truly wish to join the Kin?"

"Honestly, no. But I see little hope in escaping."

"There is no escape."

"Well, that makes me feel so much better! Now if you're done ruining my night I would like to sleep again, please."

"Listen to me! There is no escape but there is another option. Are you willing to take a risk; are you willing to do something dangerous to gain your freedom?"

"Is this some kind of trap? How do I know that this isn't a test and that you were sent by the queens to ascertain my loyalty?"

The red dragon nearly growled in frustration. "Look at me storm; can you see their taint in my aura?"

"No, but maybe because you serve them willingly."

"Nobody serves them willingly! If they cannot control you, they destroy you. The only reason I live, despite the fact that they have not been able to breach my mental defenses is because they control me in another way."

"The guards?"

"Of course not; they are no threat to me. I speak of the hatchlings. The queens threaten to kill them if I leave."

"How horrible! Why would they do such a thing? Why wouldn't they just kill you then?"

"The hatchlings are not all prime bloodline and you have seen that we already have an overcrowding problem. The queens have tried to eliminate those that don't show enough promise already, but I have managed to stall them. They keep me alive because I do possess an excellent bloodline. I am their favorite breeder."

"Then those babies . . ."

"Some of them are mine, yes, but all of the clutches are reared together and the best and brightest hatchlings are selected and taken to the queens for initiation. The rest are taken to the kitchen." The red dragon snarled as a hint of red mist surrounded her body.

Anzu looked closer at the mist and watched it curl closer to her. Taking a rook, she let the red mist touch the rock. A moment later, she was holding a ruby. "So you're a Gem Dragon, do they know?"

The red dragon looked shocked. "Yes . . . I did not know you've heard of our kind."

"I've read about them, but never seen one. So, back to the topic, they _eat_ their own young?"

"Yes, I'm glad to know that it horrifies you just as it does to me. Perhaps you will find my proposal more palatable then.

"I don't understand; are you the only one that can resist them? Are there other strong enough to fight them?"

"There is the fire god, but he cares nothing for us ordinary dragons."

"The fire god?"

"Atem, the fire god that lives in the mountains to the North. Once, he and his friends destroyed this entire city and nearly killed the queens, but her never finished the job and left us to their mercy instead.

Anzu struggled to remain upright, completely stunned by the other dragon's words. Atem, the fire god? What could she possibly mean? "What other gods?"

"The other dragon gods that rule, Seto, Yugi, Chaya, Mai, Joey, Tristan, Serenity, Kisara . . . forget it, I'm sure you can find out about them later on." The red dragon said, looking out of breath. "He brought them to this world when he opened a portal. He takes the form of a tri-colored dragon, enormous, probably a human taller then you. When they realized he was the son of Cindara they immediately attempted to capture him, but they weren't strong enough. So they sent us instead."

"A child of Cindara . . . the dragon Goddess?" she said under her breath. She shook her head. "Hold on, what do you mean they sent you to him instead?"

"The breeders, the best that the city had to offer, they sent us to him one by one and he spurned us all. I was the last that they sent. I went by the order of the queens but I had no intention of seducing him, I really went to plead to him to help us. I made a mistake and he wouldn't trust me, he would not listen to my pleas. He forced me from his lair."

Anzu fought a spurt of jealousy, so ridiculous in her current situation but the thought of Atem turning away from this dragon made her seriously doubt that he would ever love her. Of all things she'd just heard, that Atem was a fire god.

"I lost hope, fearing that I and the other dragons must live like this forever. Then I saw you today and realized what you were, though I suspect not even the queens don't know about you. This can work to our advantage."

"What do you mean? Why is seeing me so important? What can I do against a city of dragons?"

"That's just it; you don't need to fight a city of dragons. You have seen the gray sickness in dragons' auras. Not everyone here suffers from it, but those that don't are not permitted to go near the queens. Only those firmly controlled by the queens may approach them; even I cannot go near them. However, whenever a new dragon is initiated into the Kin, they come into close contact with the queens. There hasn't been a new initiate in generations. Now here you are, and better yet, you control skyfire. You can kill them and once they are dead, those they control will be free."

"Wait a minute, are you asking me to fight three dragons at once? What about their followers, before I kill them, won't they attack me as soon as I strike out at the queens?"

"I have planned a coup for over a hundred years. I have brought many dragons over to my side, earning their loyalty they way the queens never had to. I and my associates will charge the first-tier dragons and the guards when you begin you attack. We will keep them occupied while you eliminate the queens. They are old and weak and they haven't personally fought a battle in over a thousand years."

"But I don't think I can kill one dragon, much less three!"

"What choice do you have? Do you prefer this place then the call of open lands?"

Anzu remembered at that moment the roasted human thigh and the starving dragons. The baby dragons . . .

Suddenly she knew what she had to do. She could never live in a place like this; never endure day after day of life in this sick society. "I cannot promise that I will succeed, but I will die trying to kill those queens. I accept your proposal. But I have my own request." The red dragon nearly shook with excitement and anticipation, eager to rush off and inform her companions that the time for revolution neared.

"Anything! You can take the gold, the hoards. We don't care, we just want our freedom."

"I don't want gold. I want any humans still alive and trapped in this city freed and I want the Kingdom that is within your hold released from the oppression of any and all dragons."

The red dragon paused, startled by the request. "Why? What do you care about the humans?"

"That is the reward I demand if I do this for you. Do you accept?"

"Of course! We have no need of the humans; we will see to it that the dragons disperse. Most will not want to remain anywhere near here anyways. I will personally free the human cattle once the queens are dead and see them to safety. Is that agreeable to you?"

Anzu nodded and the red dragon made to leave. "Wait! There is one more thing. I do not know if I will ever see you again. Can you tell me your name?" For some reason, she had to know the name of the ruby dragon.

"I am called Rubeliara, and your name, storm?"

"Anzu."

"Such an odd name for a dragon, but no matter, if you succeed in tomorrow's battle, the name Anzu will be known forever to the dragons as the hero that freed us."

Rubeliara hurried off and Anzu settled down to get some much-needed rest. She realized that all the odds were against her, and she didn't stand much of a chance, but for the first time in her life she felt confident that even though she might die tomorrow, she made the right decision.

* * *

So, the fight is next. (This is part of the reason why I made it a three chapter special, you get the whole Circle crap over with.)

Onward to the next chapter!


	11. The Battle of Dragon Cliffs

Final part of the three chapter special. I hope you enjoy it, I hope you will leave plenty of reviews, and also, I gave you three chapters, I want you to wait a while for this story to be updated. Deal with it. -_-

Disclaimer! I own NOTHING!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 11

Anzu didn't sleep much through the night, her mind sifting through everything she'd learned. She dwelled on Atem and the things Rubeliara told her about him to avoid thinking of the coming battle and the death she likely faced as one who never truly fought a battle that depended on her life.

So Atem was a god, a fire god. Wait . . . Derek said something about the dragon god . . . but he didn't give any information, it was just a little side comment he made. Looks like there was another reason to go see him again.

Anzu realized, that despite her noble cause, she really didn't feel like facing the three queens and mortal combat when her pet guard showed up to escort her to the Royal Cavern. This time, Anzu's passage through the tunnels was accompanied by much pomp and circumstance. Someone ordered the resident dragons to line up on either side of the passageways as she paraded past in ceremonial solemnity. Guards fell into step before and behind her, and Anzu found the sight somewhat pitiful, like animals playing at being human. Though she supposed that the dragons considered humans animals rather then the other way around, for some reason, the queens enjoyed these bizarre displays of power and consequence . . . they were like her stepmother.

At that realization, the hate bloomed anew. As she walked down the tunnel she felt the other dragons' curiosity. It was annoying because she could hear what they were saying about her. It was mainly her size and color.

She passed Rubeliara; the dragon flashed a pitied look, letting Anzu know that she could hear the same thoughts.

They arrived at the Royal Cavern. The first-tier dragons stood attention with their four feet planted on the ground and their wings bejeweled, folded neatly with their heads lifted and watching. They ranged on either side of the queens still lounging on their hoards. Anzu didn't realize there were so many of the privileged dragons, and she hoped Rubeliara came through with her promised assistance before they ripped her apart. The three queens hissed as she approached, their anticipation of the day's events obvious as they licked their drooling chops with gray tongues dripping acidic saliva. Anzu readied herself, focusing on reinforcing her iron wall that she hadn't used in a while.

The right queen spoke. "Welcome back, stranger. It is time to initiate you into the Kin. Are you ready?"

Anzu nodded, glanced out of the corner of her eye at the guards surrounding her, and took a deep breath.

Suddenly a force rammed into her mind. Anzu grabbed her iron shield and flung it in front of them. The skyfire started out small at first but as she gained power, the sparks turned into full blown skyfire.

The guards were toasted before they could move and the first-tier dragons were pressed against the wall in horror. Anzu focused on three single bolts of skyfire and aimed for each of the queens.

When it hit them, Anzu had no idea just how strong she had made the skyfire. They screamed in agony as the skyfire burned through their scales and into their flesh, melting down to the bone.

Behind her, Anzu heard the sounds of chaotic battle as a small army of young and strong dragons charged the guards and the first-tier dragons, distracting them from battle in the center of the room. Suddenly, everyone fought for their lives, and those dragons not directly controlled by the queens joined in the fray, attacking guards standing next to them with feral abandon.

Anzu remained focused on the queens. They struggled against her skyfire as she sent wave after wave now, since her three bolts weren't enough. The stench of scored flesh polluted the air and their screams rent the chaotic din, bursting out over the battling dragons, until as a one, they died on a final cry of agony, melted into three pools of blood and gore that gripped over the golden hoards.

The battle didn't proceed as Rubeliara had promised, however. Many of the dragons controlled by the queens did stop fighting when the queens died; free of their compulsions, they fled through the tunnels, eager to escape the aftermath. But others, the guards included, continued to fight, and several came after her. Backing away, shaking with exhaustion from the vast expenditure of magic.

Rubeliara shouted in her head, and she looked up to where the dragon stood indicating a side tunnel. She followed the red dragon blindly, racing through the tunnel as fast as she could move on shaky legs. They passed several caverns, all occupied by struggling dragons, bursting flames, stone walls rising out of nothing to crush guards, and starving dragons ripping into the dead. Anzu shuddered and turned away, struggling to keep up with Rubeliara.

"Where are the babies?" she thought to the other dragon.

"They are safe and well-guarded. None will harm them ever again." The other dragon passed the dining hall and raced through the kitchens, Anzu on her heals, studiously ignoring the abattoir where humans, dragons, and animals alike met their end to feed a sick society.

Rubeliara stopped in another room filled with cages. Contained within were several types of herbivores, small carnivores, and in one cage at the back, a group of ten terrified humans that screamed at the sight of the huge dragons racing into the cavern.

"Here are the cattle, free them quickly. I will need your help moving them outside to the surface. We will let them go there and hope they have enough sense to escape on their own."

Anzu moved to the cage, using her claw to smash the lock. The humans kept screaming and huddled in the corner of the cage. The dirty and ragged men formed a wall around the three females, one of whom Anzu noticed in horror was barely more than a child. The men screamed at the dragons, cursing them, and Anzu didn't even attempt to communicate with them, fearing she didn't have the time to convince them she meant them no harm.

Instead she scooped up three in one claw and two in the other and moved away awkwardly on her hind legs. The humans struggled, bit, and kicked, and Anzu felt proud of them for fighting to what they believed to be the bitter end. Their attacks didn't hurt her.

Rubeliara grabbed the remaining five humans, including the young girl who passed out from fright, and turned toward another tunnel. They proceeded down it, meeting few dragons on their way. Arriving at an intersection, they took the left-hand passage, which soon found them at the entrance to one of the many caves that dotted the cliff face.

Rubeliara didn't bother to speak as she jumped out, spreading her wings. The humans would no doubt be horse tomorrow.

Anzu glanced around to see dragon spilling out of caves and joining in on the battle with the guards and first-tiers who enjoyed their privileged life and didn't want it to end.

As Anzu jumped from the cave and spread her wings she breathed a grateful sigh of relief of her freedom. The humans she clutched weighed more than she anticipated, and she found her flight to the top of the cliffs extremely difficult. Fortunately, the men and women had enough sense to remain still, uncertain of their future but unwilling to plummet to the shore below. Even they realized soothing catastrophic was happening to the Dragon Cliffs. They didn't wait around to find out what when Anzu finally crested the top of the cliff and collapsed, exhausted, next to Rubeliara, who already deposited her charges. Anzu's humans raced off without a backward glance, each fearing what new game the evil dragons planned to play with them.

Rubeliara turned to her and started to say something when a dragon struck her, knocking her off the cliff. The red dragon plummeted to the shore below, barely spreading her wings in time to slow her fall. She landed heavily, and the impact stunned her.

Anzu jumped off the cliff and landed softly beside her. "Rubeliara! Are you alright?" she got no answer and she felt another dragon land a little ways off, but Anzu knew that it was no ally. Looking up, she saw that it was the female guard.

"I knew you were trouble the moment you entered our territory. But you have done me a favor. The queens our dead and the city is in chaos. This is the perfect time for the guards, led by me, of course, to take control."

Anzu couldn't believe what she was hearing! "Why? Why would you want to live like this? Why not fly to distant lands and make your own lair?"

"Fool! Why be the mater of myself when I can become the master of many? With the power of the dragon army I will be akin to a god. I will not waste time demanding petty tributes and playing twisted games with the creatures of this world. My army will destroy everything in its path and I will make with world the domain of dragons only, where the only other creatures will be our cattle."

Anger coursed through her. "Rubeliara." She said, sending it to the red dragon who was just now getting up.

"Yes?"

"Get all the dragons on our side out of here; make sure those who are with the queens head for me." She growled. Rubeliara watched at the storm dragon's aura change to blue fire.

"Why?"

"Don't ask any questions; just get out of this place!" Anzu had noticed that the cliffs were surrounded in high ridges, almost like a bowl. "Make sure no ally sets one foot in this bowl shaped area."

"What are you planning to do?"

Anzu turned to her. "You'll see, now go!" Rubeliara nodded and turned away, sending messages to the ally dragons to get out of the dipped area.

The female guard laughed. "What do you plan to do? Face all of us?"

"No," Anzu growled as blue mist started to appear everywhere, filling the caves, making everything invisible. "I plan to turn you into a statue." The mist, like it was alive, wrapped around the female dragon.

* * *

Rubeliara stared at what was once her prison, turn to a lake, almost. The mist that appeared mysteriously filled up the land until the caves could never be seen, looking like water had engulfed the place. Suddenly, just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, slowly though. Leaving behind sapphire.

Staring in shock, the dragons reach forward and touched at what used to be soft ground, which was now hard, pure sapphire. Suddenly, it clicked with Rubeliara how the storm dragon knew about her.

She told the others not to touch the blue mist at all and ran in, looking for Anzu.

"Anzu! Anzu!" she called out.

"Rubeliara . . ." It was barely a whisper but she followed it to the sapphire dragon. Her eyes were closed and her wings were spread out, as if she had flopped down out of exhaustion.

"Anzu . . . you could have told me."

"Would you have believed me?"

Rubeliara realized she was right and stepped a little closer. "I can stay, if you want."

"No," she said. A blue eye opened. "The chicks?"

"They will never know pain, thanks to you." She whispered.

A taint tint of gold glittered into the sapphire's aura. "Good, I'm happy. Leave, I'll be fine, I promise."

"But-"

"Go, my friend, go far from here an never look back." She closed her eyes. Rubeliara felt the guilt of leaving one of her kind, a Gem Dragon, behind.

"Thank you." She whispered, and took off.

* * *

Atem landed just outside of the Dragon Cliffs with his sister, Chaya. "Brother, do we really have to come here?" she groaned. The disgust in her voice wasn't even hidden. He turned to her snorted.

"I have to know if she was really part of the Circle."

"Fine, go ahead." She muttered. Watching him walk through the trees, she paid attention to her claws. It was better then watching the grass grow. A gasp from Atem made her look up. "What's wrong?" she asked, stepping beside him but stopped.

Dragon Cliff was abandoned, not only that, it was sapphire now. The cliffs, the ground, everything was sapphire. "Umm . . . could you pinch me so that I know this isn't a dream?" she asked.

"No, because I know I'm not dreaming." He snorted and walked onto the sapphire and down below. Chaya followed him and looked down at a lump. A shiver went up her spine.

"Atem . . ."

"What?" he snapped.

"This is a . . . dragon." She gulped. He turned and looked at the 'dragon'. To his horror, it _was_ a dragon. "There's a few more too." She said, pointing to all the large lumps of dragons. Some were even standing up, trying to fly away.

Chaya looked around, leaving Atem thinking.

_"This has to be a Gem Dragon."_ He thought.

"Anzu!" Chaya squealed. Atem turned to see his sister nudging a blue, female dragon. "Anzu, wake up." She begged.

Atem walked over and noticed that she was drained of her energy. He gave her some energy so that she could get up and walk. Anzu looked up and tried to get on her feet but they gave way and she was back on the ground, struggling to get up.

"Anzu," he said, "Get up."

Finally she got up without lifting her head to face him. She was bleeding, there were claw makes on her shoulders, all signs that she had fought.

"What happened?" he asked.

Anzu merely gave him the memory of all that happened, as well as Chaya. She was the first to speak. "Wow! I had no idea you were a Gem Dragon, Anzu! Not everyday you get to meet a Sapphire Dragon." She said.

Anzu growled, annoyed. Why wasn't she laying down? Why couldn't she go to sleep yet? Atem stopped Chaya. "Stop asking questions, Chaya. She can answer them when she's rested."

Chaya looked let down. "Okay." She pouted and walked toward the forest, leaving Anzu to lean against Atem as they headed home.

* * *

Next chapter Anzu explains everything.

So, I hope everyone enjoyed the three chapters. (Cause my fingers didn't)

Please leave pleanty of reviews, thank yous!

Also, I should point out a few things, Gem Dragons cannot change other gem dragons. (Their breath weapon doesn't work on other gem dragons)

Germantownmaiden~


	12. The Truth and Allies

Hi! Been a while for this story too. :3 Sorry for the wait. I don't know what to say about this chapter, other than the truth comes out, we get to meet Ulrick personally and we learn the truth about Anzu's family. So, how bout we get this over with.

Disclaimer, I own nothing!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 12

Anzu had no memory of returning to Atem's cave, or the whole week for that matter. Through that week, she went in and out of conscious. She also saw odd things too.

Atem's friends had stopped by at one point, she could hear them talking but it was soft, they were whispering. Chaya was considered a regular. She came by everyday to visit and see how her friend was.

The Monday Anzu woke up, it was about mid-day. She blinked a few times as she looked around, wondering where everyone was. Then, she heard the familiar happy voice of Chaya.

"You're awake!" she squealed. It made Anzu flinch slightly, since she had, at the moment, a killer headache.

Wait . . . dragons could get headaches?

"Anzu?" Chaya asked.

"Sorry, dozed off there for a moment . . . what did I miss?"

"Well," she said, curling her golden tail around her as she sat down. "Nothing much. Except, everyone came over to see the infamous Gem Sapphire Dragon. You do realize how_ rare_ you are, right?"

"I was told by Atem that the Sapphire dragons died out because they transformed into humans and stayed in the forms too long and forgot that they were dragons, but, that's about all I know." Anzu shrugged.

Chaya nodded a few times. "It's true, too. So, come on! Tell me!"

"Tell you what?"

"What's it like being a Gem Dragon?"

Anzu stared curiously at the smaller dragon. "There's nothing special about me, you know. I can turn things to sapphire, that's it."

"But you're also a Storm Dragon! Man, must be amazing to feel powerful." She sighed and looked a little glum for a second before she went back to her usual happy. "So . . . are you going to . . . join the humans?"

"That's what I'd like to know." A deep, masculine voice filled the air, making Anzu shiver. They turned to see the tri-colored dragon walk towards them, slow and hesitant.

"Atem . . ." she said softly.

His eyes narrowed for a second before he spoke. "When you asked me about breath weapons, you knew all along what and who you were, and yet you still asked me."

This was going to be difficult.

She shook her head and was about to speak when another voice butted in. "She didn't know what she was at the time, Atem." The dragons turned to see a man with a long beard and a beautifully carved staff that held a jewel with in it. His eyes twinkled with mischief, but there was something about the man that Anzu knew. She dug into her memories until she gasped.

_"Hey, Derek! Where're you going?" A little girl shouted as she ran after a young teenager, his shoulder length brown hair moved easily in the wide as he turned towards her. His eyes widened._

_"Princess Anzu! You have classes!"_

_The girl pouted. "They're boring. I want to have fun today." Derek shook his head and was about to transport her back when a gentle, laughing voice stopped him. _

_"Now, now, Derek. Let the girl have her fun." They both turned to a man with a long beard and twinkling gray eyes. Anzu went up to him and tugged on his robe._

_"Are you Derek's Master that he tells me about?"_

_He bent down and smiled. "I am indeed, and you must be the Princess he tells me much about." The girl blushed brightly and looked over at her friend. _

_"You told him about me?"_

_He grinned. "How could I not?" He laughed then and walked up to them as she turned back to the old man._

_"What's your name? You know mine, but I do not know yours."_

_"Ah! Where are my manners!" he gasped and playfully looked for them up his long sleeves and pulled out a white rose. "Here it is." He said, handing it to the wide-eyed girl. "My name is Ulrick, Princess Anzu."_

_She smiled and hugged the man. "Just call me Anzu now that we're friends!" she giggled._

"Ul . . . Ulrick?" she whispered, stepping forward. He smiled then and stepped forward to place his hand on her muzzle.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Princess Anzu?"

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Chaya said. "You two know each other? And Anzu is a _Princess?_" Ulrick turned to the female dragon, grinning.

"Hard to believe, no? Derek contacted me some months ago, asking me what he should turn this certain girl into. I knew he was ordered by the Queen to get rid of you, Anzu, but I knew that he would never harm you. Never you. But, I couldn't let him turn you into something you weren't."

"Hold on," Atem snapped, stepping forward. "You've lost us." Ulrick glared at the black dragon. "She was once _human_?"

"Oh, she was never human. Did you know that Anzu? Never once, were you human. You wanted to be free when you were a little girl. I knew from the moment I saw you running from the castle after Derek that you would never fit in the world of humans. Your Mother was too dragon for that."

"You knew her?" Anzu whispered. Pain shot through her heart like a thousand needles. Making one, dragon tear escape. Chaya stared goggle-eye at it while Atem was watching Anzu with confusion. Ulrick picked it up.

"It still hurts, doesn't it? The pain of your mother leaving. She was a good dragon, just, too. Whenever someone disturbed the peace of her home, she turned into a demon from Hell itself. She fought, many, many times before she finally turned into a human."

"Why?" Anzu choked out. Ulrick looked up at her; the same pain that she felt was reflected in his eyes.

"She wanted to pass on her legacy. Your father was half dragon, sapphire dragon. Like Atem said, Sapphire dragons were very just creatures and gave unconditional love to all. It's no surprise that you'll find the blood of Sapphire dragons in the royal lines. She wanted to pass on her blood, she wanted the sapphire dragons to be born again, unfortunately, that damned Toad Queen got in the way."

Anger overloaded Anzu's system and her sight turned crimson. Chaya squeaked and backed away as blue mist surrounded her friend. "Anzu, please stop!"

Ulrick looked to Atem who did a peace spell, stopping the anger. "I see," Ulrick said. "That you have a hate for her."

"She, along with humans like her, will die by my claws!" she snarled, her aura was now mixed with black and crimson, blue flames and skyfire could be seen in flashes in that darkness of her aura.

Ulrick snapped his fingers, pulling Anzu from her anger once again. She shook her head and put up her iron wall, blocking her anger. "An odd thought for a sapphire dragon like yourself, but then again, the Queen has not exactly endeared herself to you."

"The Queen?" Chaya asked, closer now that Anzu was once again in control of her anger.

"Yes, the one who killed Anzu's mother, and father."

Anzu dug her claws into the rock, trying to hold the anger that was now beating at her iron wall like a cornered animal. "I knew it!" she snarled. "Ever since he died I had a gut feeling she did it and yet I could never prove it!"

Chaya stepped forward and pressed into Anzu's side comforting. Atem nudged her shoulder and sent her comforting thoughts. She took that from her friends and pulled herself together. Now that she didn't have to deal with the Circle, she wanted the only thing left.

Revenge.

"I want it."

"Want what?" Ulrick asked.

"Revenge, for my mother, my father, for all the Hell the blasted woman put my people through, for the pain she caused."

Ulrick stared at her for a moment before he spoke. "That is up to Atem. He is the one teaching you."

Anzu turned to him. "Please, give me this; give me what I have wanted for so long! I will leave once this is done; I'll leave you alone and find my own mountain range, please!"

He stared at her for a moment before he started to chuckle softly. "You, leave me? You barely know how to be a dragon since you were born in the human world. I still have much to teach you, little one."

Relief, which only fluttered at first, now spread its wings and took flight. "Thank you."

There was the sound of claws scratching stone as more dragons poured in. Anzu looked around, Yugi, Rebecca, Kisara, Seto, and five other dragons stood in front of her. A dull gold dragon stepped forward, he was about the same size as Seto, and had the look of a fighter. "We haven't met before, but I'm Joey, that's Mai," He said, pointing to a white gold dragon with violet eyes. "Tristan, my sister Serenity, and Duke." Anzu looked over them. Tristan had brown scales and a sharp and rather dangerous looking horn on his head with needle-like spines while Serenity had scales of the color of the leaves that fell from the trees in the fall, she looked soft and kind. Duke was a rather handsome black dragon with sharp emerald green eyes. But he didn't pull her like the tri-colored dragon did.

"What are you guys . . .?"

"We're here to help," Mai said. "You want revenge for the ones you love, and that's something we understand perfectly."

"Besides," Tristan said. "You're a dragon, rare and powerful too. We have to stick out for each other." He said, giving her a toothy grin. Anzu bowed her head, grateful for the support she had despite what she had once been, despite the lies she told.

"Thank you." She whispered.

* * *

That night, as the stars glittered in the sky and the crescent moon giving off its gentle light, Anzu sat outside the cave. She watched the stars, her favorite pastime.

She looked to her right when she felt someone land next to her. It was Atem. He sat down next to her and joined her. They enjoyed the silence before Anzu spoke. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to . . . but . . . at the time, you didn't sound too keen on humans or Gem Dragons."

"Yes," he nodded. "I realized that after Ulrick left. I should have suspected it, though. The massive sapphire gem Seto saw. Had I know about you being a Sapphire dragon, I might have put it together that you were once human, but I didn't." he sighed.

Anzu nodded and once again, tell fell into a comfortable silence. "You were the one who put those sharp tips on the grass, didn't you?" he accused.

Anzu laughed, a burst of skyfire flashed off her wings and into the dark sky. "You couldn't blame me the way you were treating me, now could you?"

Atem chuckled. "I suppose not."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"The reason why you say Ruby Dragons are spitfires, is it because of Rubeliara?"

"Ah, well . . . yes."

"She's not all spitfire, you know. The reason why she came to you that day wasn't to seduce you; she came to beg for your help." He turned to Anzu. "She was going to beg you to free the dragons from those Queens. They were eating their own young." She whispered.

He snorted in outrage and then looked down. "It seems that I own her an apology. I must find her, one day."

"Good luck with that." Anzu laughed.

"Why?"

"I told her to fly far from here, far from where the Circle used to be. Who knows where she is right now, but I'm taking a real good guess that she's very happy." She said. Atem nodded and looked up at the stars.

Anzu felt her heart jump to her throat, demanding why she didn't make a move. Taking a deep breath she scooted over until she was pressed up against him. She felt him stiffen for only a second before he relaxed. Once he did, Anzu curled up next to him, falling to sleep.

Atem stared down at the sleeping dragon. Who would have thought that he would have fallen in love with a Gem Dragon, one that wanted revenge on a human. He wondered what that Queen, other than kill her parents, had done to Anzu. He had to say, the Queen would be lucky if she died as a sapphire and not by his flames.

He rested his head on her shoulder and spread his wings out to cover her, creating a blanket as he joined her in the sweet oblivion.

* * *

A fluffy moment, kinda. Not one of my best chapters, but hey, at least I put something up. Please leave a review and thank ya for reading.

~Germantownmaiden


	13. Anger

Hi ya guys! Is back with another chapter of Dragon Princess. Guess what? *spoiler* I kill off everyone! Don't believe me? Read on.

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 13

Anzu was sitting by a hot spring in the secluded mountains. The hot spring even more secluded because she could not scent anyone else. No one had been here, not even other animals.

She was enjoying the steam as it relaxed her taxed muscles. Ever since she decided on the revenge for her people and family, Atem had trained her non-stop. Teaching her how to fight and often times pounding her to the ground. Ulrick had taken the liberty to teach her magic, but it was equally taxing. But she could tell that it was helping her.

"I see you found a secret relaxing spot."

Anzu turned at Ulrick's voice breaking the relaxing sound of the water. He smiled at her and sat down beside her. "How did you find me?"

"Ah, magic was the help of that. Atem wants to teach you some more, but he can't find you at the moment and has asked me to help."

"Then this place must be protected." She said softly, but Ulrick shook his head.

"It is, but by a different force. Look under the water." He said. Anzu did just that and found the bottom covered with . . . sapphire. Only, it wasn't just blue. There was pink, yellow, green, violet, and right in the center of the hot pool was a star burst made out of star sapphire. She pulled out and looked to him.

"This was a place, before your kind disappeared, where sapphire dragons would come together." He paused for a moment. "Where one found their soul mate."

"I don't understand."

"There is a legend to this pool. The Creator made it just for dragons so that they could come and find their soul mates, but the pool only accepted your kind, so in a way, the Gem Sapphire Dragons had the most power of all Gem Dragons. Gem Dragons were a bit confusing, because like the gems of the Earth, there are different branches that spread out from the original gems."

Anzu took in the information. "Forgive me, but I know the meaning of stones and gems, and the ruby is believed to be the most powerful gem in the universe."

"That is true, and that is why the pool also welcomed the Ruby Dragons. You may not know this, but if you ever meet a Ruby Dragon, know that he or she is your ally. Though the Sapphire and Ruby do not see eye-to-eye, but if they team up, you just might see Hell and Heaven wave a white flag."

Anzu smiled mentally. It was no wonder then, why she got along with Rubeliara so easily. "Tell me, about the legend of the Star in the middle, please."

"Yes, the star. For many years, the dragons didn't know what the star did, but when two dragon lovers came here, the star glowed to life and bound their souls together, insuring, that when they were reborn, that they would find each other, no matter what."

"So the star . . . finds soul mates."

"Yes, but do not think that it can do just that. I made that mistake." He said softly.

Anzu heard the regret, the pain in his voice. "What happened?" she asked softly.

He laughed, but it sounded . . . strangled. "I fell in love, with the wrong person. I fell in love with your Mother."

Anzu turned to him in surprise. "You loved her?"

"Yes, and I'm no old man, you-who." A soft light covered his body, transforming him into a young man. "This," he said with a sweep of his well muscled arm. "Is my true form. I've only showed this form to your Mother and you. When I first spotted her, I was young and foolish. I told her of my affection, and she returned it, but she warned me that there was a test I had to do. The Star decided my fate . . . and I was not to be with the one my heart yearned for."

"But, that must have been . . ."

"Many, many years ago. The Star gave my immortality, gave me the ability to control magic that was long lost."

Anzu could feel his pain, and somehow, she could feel her Mother's pain. "She . . . she must have been in pain, much like you."

"Oh, I know. I saw her cry when the Star denied me. I felt her soul almost crumble, but before I left, I told her to live for me, if my human side ever died, because that was what she loved, my human side, and I told her I would do the same if she died. And I still do, to this day."

Anzu looked down at him, the pity filled her heart. "But surely, life is getting tiresome?"

"Oh, it is. I will die. Soon too."

"No!" she gasped. Not another friend!

"My soul, Anzu, has lived too long, even now; I am hanging on to a single thread. Until I know you are powerful enough, I will leave and finally rest."

She bowed her head and let another dragon tear escape. Ulrick heard the soft crystal drop to the ground. He turned and picked it and looked at it, letting the light reflect off it. "Will you leave me again?" she whispered softly.

He smiled and placed and hand on her shoulder, his blond hair fluttered in the wind as his moss green eyes glittered with warmth and love. "No, I've left you in good hands. Atem won't leave you."

Had she been human, she probably would have blushed. "I love him like a brother." She lied.

"Untrue, little dragon. The stars whisper about you two. The last, powerful sapphire dragon falling in love with the son of Cindara, the Dragon Goddess. A union like that is beautiful and terrifying at the same time."

"Why's that?"

"Because, he alone has the power to wipe out life in this world as if we were dolls and he God and you, a female dragon that is capable of the same thing, holds his heart. If one hurts you, they are destroyed in a matter of seconds. You may not realize it now, but you hold a dangerous weapon in your hands, Anzu."

"You think I would be willing to destroy life?"

"No, but you would be willing to wipe out all evil that opposes you." She snorted, but could not deny it.

They fell silent once again, letting the soothing sounds flow and comfort them both before she asked, "Do you still love her, my Mother?"

He turned to her and smiled. "Always, always."

* * *

When they returned, Atem was the first to greet them. Anzu pouted and told him she had done enough, but he ignored her. "Ulrick is going to teach you how to transform into a human."

Anzu turned to her friend, curious. Ulrick was once again in the form of an old man. He smiled. "That's right, but beware Anzu, you won't feel the same."

She tipped her head to the side, not truly understanding. He showed her the steps with Chaya being the 'dummy'. Looking past the smoke, she found herself looking down at a young girl with long blond hair that was tipped with turquoise at the ends. She had on a simple white maiden dress with no shoes and there was a symbol on her forehead. It continued on and rested at her cheeks, giving her a wild look, but the symbol in the middle of her forehead seemed to . . . glow.

It curled out from the center into three curls. It was the symbol for . . .

"Wind." Atem said, as if reading her mind. "Chaya has the ability to control the air and winds of the universe."

"Wow, that's cool." Anzu said, making Chaya snort.

"You kidding? I would rather take my brother's power of fire then wind or air. But I'll take what I get." She sighed dramatically, making Ulrick roll his eyes. Atem was glaring at her, his eyes holding a burning ember that was a clear warning.

"Now, you try, Anzu."

She nodded and closed her eyes and pulled her magic to her. How could one describe magic? For her, it was as if she was looking into a moving rainbow, only, this one would not disappear if you got close. Before she could reach out to it, the magic yanked itself from her.

Atem chuckled. "It takes a while to learn it. Don't worry. Chaya couldn't do this for ten years."

"Thanks you jerk." She muttered and crossed her arms, flipping her blond and turquoise hair.

Anzu smiled and tried again, this time, she didn't rush the magic, she let it come to her. It surrounded her and then swirled around her. She gasped as a pain shot down her spin. She could feel herself getting smaller. Skyfire and a blue mist surrounded her, a blue whirlwind of skyfire. It disappeared, leaving a young woman behind.

Human Chaya stared and then looked at herself. "I feel as though I'm standing next to Mai's human form!" she snapped.

Anzu had changed, drastically. Her shoulder length hair was now long and well past her body length. Her once cheerful sky blue eyes were now a deep, shocking sapphire blue with pale skin. A blue circle that must have stood for sapphire had a skyfire bolt in it, the symbol rested on her forhead with skyfires and celtic designs curling from her symbol.

She had the body of a goddess, plain and simple, and Chaya hated it. "Why am I the only plain one here? I should be like Anzu, Mai, and Kisara!"

"Serenity and Rebecca are much like you." Ulrick pointed out.

"Yeah, well I'm older then both of them combined, so that's understandable, but I'm old enough to have a smoken' body for gods sake!" she pouted. Atem snorted and turned the other way so she would see the cruel smirk on his face.

While that was going on, Anzu was trying to understand something. She was . . . lacking something.

"Emotions." Ulrick said. She turned her cold, almost emotionless eyes towards him.

"Human emotions are different then dragon emotions. The reason why Chaya can act the way she can is because she's transformed into a human a few times. Don't worry, over time you'll, well, I guess a good way to say it is 'learn', but you'll 'learn' them again."

She nodded and turned to the tri-colored dragon and felt a shiver pass through her body. Now that she was small and he tall, she felt extremely feminine. "What is your human side like?"

He stared at her for a moment before asking for room. Crimson flames burst from his body and in seconds he turned into a column of fire. Ulrick had to look away but Anzu found that it didn't hurt her eyes.

When the flames disappeared, a young man was in the dragon's place. He had spiky tri-colored hair framed by blond bangs. His crimson eyes, probably one of the few things that stayed the same, glowed in the dim light of the cave. A fire symbol was on his forehead with small flames that curled and stopped at his cheek bones. He looked wild and untamable.

She shivered again, this time, everyone saw it. "Are you okay, Anzu?" Chaya asked. Ulrick smirked and snickered at Atem who glared the message, _shut up_.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just a bit odd."

"Have a run." Ulrick said.

"What?"

"Run. Go outside and run. The forest will not change today. It sleeps." Anzu let it sink in before she turned on her heel and bolted out of the cave, her long white dress that had appeared on her flowed behind her.

She practically flew through the forest as she ran back the way she had come when she first turned into a dragon. A wide smile had unknowingly grown on her face as the wind whipped through her hair.

Anzu came to a stop at a small cliff that overlooked her human home. She stopped at the ledge and looked out, expecting to see a large, bustling city.

Her eyes grew wide as the air in her lungs froze. What was once a great city with a large, beautiful castle, now stood in ruins. Slowly, as if time had slowed for her alone, she walked toward the ruins of her old home.

The soft grass turned to dirt, then cobblestone. Homes, taverns, and hotels lay in ashes, hollow shells of the warmth they once held. She pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, to stop the scream of anguish that threatened to tear her heart in two.

There was a scuffle of feet behind her. Anzu turned around to see two children. A boy who was so dirty that you couldn't even make out his features and a girl with black hair and frightened blue eyes.

"Young ones," she said softly, falling to her knees. "What has happened here?"

They looked at each other but the girl finally spoke. "Goddess, it was the Queen."

Anger screamed and raged within her heart and the cruel woman who dared call herself a Queen.

"When Princess Anzu and Lord Derek died, she started to destroy everything and then she married the king in the kingdom next to ours, she planned to destroy what was left of our home."

Reality shot through her like a spear that was thrust into her heart. Derek was dead? No!

"Lord Derek . . . dead?" she whispered.

They nodded. "The Queen had him beheaded for no reason. He was the last person who could stand up to the Queen." The little girl sobbed.

Anzu had to breathe, if she transformed, she would scare them to death. "Go to the stream and clean up, I will take you somewhere safe, if there are others, bring them to the stream as well so they may wash up."

They nodded and turned from the direction they came from. Anzu ran to the castle, to the throne room. She ran past one of the collapsed towers and pushed the doors open with ease.

The cold reached out to her warmth, destroying and devouring it. She ran to the throne room and rushed to where the throne was. She looked down at the ground and gently touched it with her fingers. A vision of Derek, the human she once loved before Atem took her heart and made it his.

He was smirking at the Queen as she was screaming. An axe, it fell . . . the blood. "NO!" she sobbed and collapsed completely, curling into a tight ball as tears poured from her eyes. "No, no, no! You can't be dead, not you Derek." She sobbed.

Time slipped by before she heard voices. Atem and his friends.

"Found her." Chaya said.

She didn't want to be found.

"Anzu!" Atem said as he ran to her and got down beside her. "Look at me, what's wrong?"

"Derek's dead, he's . . . he's dead!" she moaned and sobbed into his chest. She felt him stiffen as he touched the floor as she had done, and then held her. Ulrick came up next to them, tears in his eyes.

"Oh Derek, you young fool. For you to fall in love with a dragon when you were a dragon slayer. Oh you fool." He whispered to himself before he sighed.

Anzu sobbed for a while longer before the grief left and she was hit by rage. The need for vengeance so clear within her mind that she was almost sure that was why her heart beat at that moment.

She let Atem pull her up so she would stand, and then she turned to everyone.

"She's mine, the Queen is _mine_." Her voice was emotionless, her blue eyes cruel and uncaring. Ulrick recognized Adalinda's anger. Anzu truly was so much like her mother in the grips of anger. For once, Ulrick truly did pity the Toad Queen. For she had awakened a demon that not even Hell could stop.

* * *

I told you I killed everyone! HA! You just didn't know who 'everyone' I was thinking of. Hee hee. So now, Anzu had a bit more to add to her anger. Next chapter should be the start of the whole revenge thing.

See ya soon and please review!


	14. New Allies and the Start of Revenge

HI EVERYONE! (Opps, Caps lock was on.) I'm trying to update as much as I can. Now, I'll be updating this story twice, so there's this chapter, and then chapter 15.

This chapter we get two new different characters, its time I welcome them into the game of revenge.

Discliamer! I own nothing!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 14

Anzu was sitting on a rock thinking about how she would execute her plan. They had decided together that they would act as elves that were new to this country and such. It was simple, but she had to say, her step-mother would throw a fit being in the presence of such beautiful 'elves'.

Atem interrupted her thinking then by sitting down next to her. "You're quiet, Anzu. Is something wrong?"

She shrugged but stopped when she remembered a piece of information she had yet to question him about. "Are you a god?"

He stiffened. "What does it matter? That is merely a name."

Anzu turned to him, glaring at him with her cold blue eyes. "Tell me."

Atem sighed before he stood up, wiping the imaginary dirt off his outfit. "I've . . . I've been called that many times in the past, but I truly don't care who calls me god or a plain dragon."

Anzu tipped her head to the side. "Are you a dragon god?"

He turned to her, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "In different worlds, I am known as a dragon god by other dragons only, but when I go home to where I was born, I am merely a dragon lord as are the others."

She stared at him for some time before she got up and walked over and hugged him from behind. He stiffened in shock but he relaxed and his hands moved to cover hers. "You sound alone. Even with your brother, sister, and friends, you sound so alone." She whispered and leaned her head against his back.

Suddenly he looked ancient beyond his years; it was as though he had aged in a single second. "Yes, it is lonely, but there's nothing I can do about it."

Anzu tightened her hold on him and pulled herself closer to him. "If you want . . . I'll stay with you, I'll never leave you alone."

Atem had never been caught off balance, but now . . . ever since she came to him that day, he was always being caught off balance, whether it was his feelings that made him this way or something else.

He turned to her and tipped her chin up. "Forever?"

Anzu took in a shaky breath and nodded. "Forever, whenever you need me, you will be my sun if you will let me be your moon. I will be your shadow." She said softly.

Atem blinked a few times before he rested his forehead on hers, looking in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he pulled her closer and—

"Atem! Anzu!" Chaya burst through the small clearing they were in. Before she could comprehend what they were about to do or what she had just interrupted, Atem and Anzu pushed away from each other and looked over at Chaya, who was looking slight confused. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Yes," he growled and marched over to his little sister. "I was right in the middle of a lesson."

"Sorry about th-" she yelped then when he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away towards the group. Anzu followed, her face alight in a bright blush. She didn't know whether to be glad that poor Chaya interrupted or mad at her.

"Hey! I said I was sorry!" she whined.

"Doesn't matter." He growled. "You were born a dragon and you knew our ways by the time you were a hundred years old. Anzu has not had that chance." Seto turned to him, a brow raised.

_'It's more than that, isn't it?"_

_'Keep your mouth shut or I'll pull out a tooth.'_ Atem snarled mentally towards his cousin. In response, Seto turned away, looking bored but he kept rubbing his mouth for some reason. Kisara asked him if a tooth was bothering him but he assured her quickly that he was fine, just thinking.

"Other matters aside now," Ulrick said. "We have to concentrate on how exactly we're going to get in to the Toad's new home."

"Can't we just send a letter to them?"

"But we want to come unexpectedly." Kisara pointed out.

They were all silent for a moment before Duke, who hadn't said much at all, spoke. "How about I go and deliver a message about you guys who want to come and see the 'wonderful' human world. That way, I can even use my powers to persuade them to even say yes."

Atem narrowed his eyes as he thought about it. Duke was good at getting people on his side, whether he was wrong or right and the very sight of him might get the Toad to say yes. Anzu had told him how she thought, and he came to the conclusion that she welcomed every drop-dead handsome man into her home. "Yes."

They all turned to him. "Duke will act as a 'scout' for right now. You can leave now, if you want."

Duke nodded. "The sooner I leave, the sooner we can get this revenge going." He got up and brushed away some dirt and dust before he turned to Ulrick. "Where's the castle?"

"Go to Anzu's old home and then head south."

Duke nodded and bolted away from the small group of dragons.

* * *

Calieve Steelspawn Victor, the new Queen of the Celestial Kingdom, was sitting on her new shine throne looking at her wedding ring. The place was much better than that other horrid kingdom she was in and it was so simple to actually get away from it. All she had to do was go to the other kingdom and make the king fall in love with her.

She looked at her right hand then, to a ring with ancient symbols on it. This gave her the appearance that she was young and beautiful, once again. Now when she heard the whispers, it was about her beauty, not her ugliness.

Smirking in victory, she laughed. "Take that, Derek!"

"Laughing again, Calieve?"

She turned to see her husband, Caleb Victor. He was a lot smarter than her last husband, which meant that it wouldn't be easy to kill the damn king off. "I'm just so happy, that's all."

"Coming from a Queen who willingly let another kingdom destroy and rob her old kingdom she ruled, that's odd."

Calieve shrugged. "Bad memories, besides, the people would not listen to me because I was simple a Queen with no King."

Caleb's eyes narrowed for a moment before he sighed and walked over to his throne. "We have a visitor."

That perked her interest. "Really? Who?"

"He's coming in now, from what I was told."

The doors opened then and guards walked in, accompanying a young man. Calieve sucked in a quiet breath as her eyes landed on him. He had emerald green eyes and midnight black hair that was tied up in a ponytail. There was an odd symbol on his forehead that she couldn't see very clearly and he had an interesting earring too. It was a dice . . .? _'How odd . . . but . . . he's very yummy.'_ She thought. Then she noted the ears. An elf!

"I assume you are the King and Queen?" he asked. Damn, even his voice was sexy.

Caleb nodded. "We are. What can we do for you?"

He smiled. "King and Queen of the Celestial Kingdom, I come with a request from my Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses. We are new to this area and we've never had contact with humans before. My new King believes it is time to get to know the humans and learn from them and maybe, share some knowledge. They sent me first to ask permission so they would not intrude on anything important."

Calieve tapped her husband on the hand softly. "This could be a wise decision to let them in. If they are willing to give some knowledge, don't you think it would be a good idea to accept?"

He was silent for a moment before he nodded. "It would be an honor to let your royals stay for a while."

Duke bowed low. "Thank you, King." He turned to leave, but was stopped.

"What is your name?"

"I am Duke, Prince of West Woods." He bowed once again and left. Calieve smiled. _'A Prince, huh? Maybe I can make you a King,'_

* * *

Duke entered the forest, slight shocked. The Toad Queen had obviously found away around Derek's ugly spell curse but he could still see it under her. Humans would never be able to see through what the ring hid, but dragons, elves, gods, and other powerful beings, could see what was perfectly hidden.

Anzu did say she was ugly, but he didn't realize just _how_ ugly the lady was, not only that, but she was flirting with him! He could see it in her eyes! Wasn't she married? Dang, he might be a ladies man, but hell, he didn't go that far and flirt with married women!

"Hi there."

Duke turned on his heel to look straight in the face a someone familiar. "Wah!" he yelped and jumped back a few feet. The girl frowned.

"Is that how you say hi to old friends?"

"Stop, Mana, you scared him." Another voice joined in as a young man stepped out. Both were powerful dragons, both old friends.

"No way! What are you guys going here?"

"Well, Cindara said that you guys might need some help. By the way, what are you guys planning to do anyway? I've never seen Cindara laugh so much."

Duke tipped his head to the side, trying to decide whether or not to tell them. "How about I take you to the others to explain, hmm?"

"Fine with me!" Mana said. "Let's go." She grabbed his arm and pulled him through the forest.

"Hey! Wait a moment; you don't even know where you're going! Hey, hey! Stop it, you're hurting my arm!" Duke complained as Mana giggled and continued to pull.

* * *

Anzu was laying around, going through some new words that Atem had told her to study and get in her head. He was still glaring at his sister and Chaya, not knowing why he was glaring, decided to glare right on back.

The bushes rustled then and three people enter the small clearing. "That hurts!" Duke snapped at the girl who was promptly dragging him.

Anzu tipped her head to the side. The girl had brown hair that went past her shoulders somewhat with sparkling earth green eyes. She was about Chaya's height, slight and childish, but Anzu could the sparkle in her aura. Both she and the other man were dragons.

The girl stepped forward to Anzu and wrapped her in a surprising hug. "Hi, I'm Mana, and that guy back there," she said pointing to the man talking to Atem. "Is my mate, Mahado."

"Oh," Anzu said. She walked and peeked over Atem's shoulder. "Hello." He looked at her and smiled. He was handsome with his long brown hair tied up in a low ponytail. He had warm brown eyes and an easy smile. She could see why Mana loved him.

"Hey there, handsome!" Mana yelled, hugging Atem. Anzu bristled as Atem and Mahado stiffened. The girl stopped hugging and skipped off to where Chaya and Kisara were.

Mahado followed his mate while Atem and Anzu stayed behind. "What . . . was that about?" she asked.

"Ah . . . that . . . I'll tell you later when no one can over hear us." He coughed then, telling her that the subject was over for now. "I told Mahado about the plan, he would like to join in, along with Mana, is that ok?"

"As long as she doesn't hug you again, it's fine." She said. Suddenly, Anzu realized just how possessive she was. Atem was fighting a smirk.

"Are you-"

"Say anything and you'll be my sapphire statue, _forever_." She said, a little too sweetly. Atem cringed and pouted.

"Why do you have to be so mean?"

"Because I can." She smiled and patted his cheek before turning to Duke. "So?"

"Oh yeah, the King guy agreed. By the way, I should warn you guys about something. The Toad found away around that ugly spell, it was a ring on her finger."

Atem looked up. "Was it covered in ruins?"

"Yeah, but I could see through them perfectly. Dragons and other powerful beings can see through it as though the ring doesn't exist, but for humans, all they can see is that she's the most beautiful thing in the room." He turned to Anzu then and smiled. "She's going to be real mad when she sees just how pretty you girls are going to be."

Anzu smiled. "That's exactly what I want to happen."

* * *

Ha ha! I guess you guys don't like Chaya at the moment since she kinda intrupted something I was _so willing_ to give you guys.

Chaya: You're the writer! Change it!

Naw, I'll let you suffer for a few chapters or so.

Chaya:*whimpers*

Anyway, thank for reading, and chapter 15 will be uploaded soon. (Sometime tonight.) Also, if youwere slightly confused as to why Atem's so lonely, he, out of all the others, is considered more powerful then his mother and father, and very close to becoming an actual god. (Think about it, Dragon Gods have to pick a female where multipe females could fight over him, *dragon fight!* jk, anyway, being all powerful kinda puts you in another level of lonelyness, that's why Atem is lonely.) Anzu can fill it because she's not a normal, plain dragon.

Just to let you guys know, I'm not an expert with elves and such, sure, I've watched Lord of the Rings but that's as far as my info on elves go. See ya in next chapter.

Confused? Write a question and I'll reply in the next chapter.


	15. Royal Revenge

Ok, so I didn't give it to you guys last night, but better late than never, right? Just to let you guys know, the only infor I have on elves is what I learned from _Lord of the Rings._(Which I don't own) So I tried my very best to make the names sound close to elves and what-not. So I apologize for the crumy names. ^.^"

Here we go!

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

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Dragon Princess

Chapter 15

The people of the Celestial Kingdom were whispering about the rumor of elves coming to visit the King and Queen. "I thought the elves were long gone." One woman whispered.

"So did I, figured the dragons or gods drove them away from this land to let the other races grow."

"Please, who needs dragons, the last dragon we had here killed the original Queen." One man grumbled.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but do you know where the Castle is?" a woman asked. The people turned to see a blond haired beauty. Her violet eyes glowed with life, in fact, her whole body seemed to glow.

The man's jaw dropped and closed for a few seconds before he pointed to where his King and Queen lived. The woman smiled. "Thank you." She turned and took the hand of a young man with messy dirty blond hair with warm brown eyes.

More people passed, some whose beauty either mirrored the woman's beauty or surpassed. There was one couple who stood out the most. A man with spiky black hair tipped with violet and blond bangs that framed his crimson eyes. He was holding the hand of a woman . . . no, a goddess perhaps?

Her brown hair was almost as long as her own body and yet it didn't touch the ground. Deep blue eyes glittered in the morning light as she passed the village people.

Then the man noticed the ears. An elf!

"My, I had no idea elves were that pretty." A woman whispered in a hushed voice.

"Is she even an elf?" a young woman asked. "I would see her more as a goddess."

"I know, but her ears are proof that she's an elf."

"But a goddess can take many forms." The girl said.

"Hush, if she is a goddess then you shouldn't be whispering behind her back." The woman scolded the girl, making her blush brightly.

While they were all in their world, Anzu had heard every word the people said. She smiled when one man said that not even the new Queen came close to their beauty. Atem pulled her closer to his side. "How long do you think it'll take for us to get under the Queen's skin?"

Anzu smiled and turned to him. "The moment we walk in."

* * *

Calieve was sitting on her throne, wearing her best outfit with her best jewels. Caleb was sitting beside her, looking his best as well.

The doors opened then and the Prince of the West Woods walked in. He was in different clothes, better then what he was wearing before. Calieve smiled as she noted the angry and jealous glares from the other men in the court. Just as the women often times gave her the same looks.

"Your Majesties, I would like to introduce my Kings and Queens."

"There's more then one King?" Caleb asked, curious.

Duke smiled and nodded. "Yes, we switch rulers from time to time, to give them breaks and such. This," he said, pointing out to a couple who stepped forward. Calieve eyed the man. He was handsome with his dirty blond hair and brown eyes but nothing that interested her. Then her eyes landed on his wife.

Calieve felt like screaming. "Is King Joey and Queen Mai, king and queen of Balance."

"Seto and Kisara, the king and queen of Light." Another couple stepped for ward then. The man was tall and the coldest blue eyes Calieve had ever seen. Kisara whispered something to her husband, throwing her into the Queen's gaze. Seriously? Was there no ugly elf?

"And then there are the princes and princesses." Duke said as others joined to stand beside him. "As you know, I am Duke, Prince of the West Woods." He then stepped back as another prince stepped forward.

"I am Yugi, Prince of the East Woods." He bowed slightly and practically glided to where Duke was standing.

"I am Tristan, Prince of the South Woods." Calieve studied him. He looked to be a warrior like most of the men. She turned to the next prince to find him more . . . adult-looking.

"I am Mahado, Prince of the North Woods and these are our Princesses. Chaya, the Princess of the Winds." A girl glided forward and bowed low. Whispers went around.

"Have you seen hair like that before, because I-"

"I never knew elves had that kind of hair, I figured it would be blond or brown."

A voice of wind chimes stopped the whispers almost immediately. "It is an honor." Chaya spoke. She then took a few steps back, but now she had the eyes of everyone on her.

Atem smiled at his sister. '_Always the one to catch the prey by surprise.'_ Mahado spoke again. "Serenity, Princess of the Waters" The girl walked over and curtsied before locking eyes with the King of the Celestial Kingdom, making Caleb blush furiously.

"Your Majesties." She said. Her voice was like a bubbling brook that flowed over stones wore smooth through time. She stepped beside Chaya then, where she received a mental high-five from Atem's sister.

"Rebecca, Princess of the Fires." The girl walked forward, almost dancing as the flames would dance in the air or across wood, spreading and consuming. She smiled as she only bowed her head and drifted back to where the other two Princesses were.

"And Mana, Princess of the Earth." Almost skipping, Mana bowed before smiling at the two monarchs.

"It is an honor, King Caleb and Queen Calieve, to be here." She said before stepping beside Mahado. "And this," she said holding out a hand for a couple in the back. "Is our main King and Queen. Atem and Anzu."

Calieve stiffened at the name of her step-daughter, but all emotion was erased as she looked upon the main King and Queen. He had black spiky hair tipped with violet and his fierce crimson eyes were framed with blond bangs that framed his face. A mark on his forehead that looked to be a flame had a line of flames framing his face as well, stopping at his cheekbones. He was drop dead gorgeous but his Queen, Anzu, was something else.

Her smooth skin looked as though she had taken in a moonbeam, making her dark blue eyes even darker. Her long brown hair looked so close to touching the ground but it seemed as though there was an invisible wind that prevented it.

She smiled then; sharp inhales went around the room as the humans took in her beauty. Caleb was the only one who did not react like the others in his court. He stood up and spread his arms. "Welcome, I did not expect the elves to come to human towns; this is certainly a pleasant surprise."

King Atem smiled. "We thought it was time for our races to try and understand each other. Please, whatever has happened in the past between our races fade away so that we may become friends."

Caleb walked forward and held out a hand in greeting. "I believe we can do that." Atem took the king's hand and shook it. The court people were whispering about the possibilities that could open due to this new friendship.

_'Atem,"_ Anzu said to him.

_'Hmm?'_

_'I like him; it's not his fault he doesn't understand what's going on. Do you think . . . that humans and dragons can get along?'_ She asked.

He looked over at her and was silent for a moment before he spoke once again. _'Yes, the Celestial Kingdom is named so for a reason. Many beings, human or otherwise, can live here peacefully with humans. It's actually a law not to kill another thing here, though, deaths can only happen within a clan here.'_

_'What?'_ she asked, slightly confused.

_'Simple, say that there was a group of dragons and a male harmed a female of a baby, and you know it's against dragon law to harm a female or baby, another dragon can deal its own justice only to dragon kind, if the killing does any farther, its against the law.'_

_'What if a human kills a baby dragon?'_

_'They have a special court here where wizards, like Ulrick, are chosen as judges. They're understanding and very kind from what I've heard. They look at both sides of the story very carefully and decide very carefully who will get the punishment. It's similar to the judging system in the 21 century in another world.'_

_'Huh?'_ Anzu said.

_'Tell you about the worlds another time.'_ He said quickly. "Where would you like us to stay? We can return to the forest and come back tomorrow morning."

"Nonsense!" Caleb said. "I'll give a wing for you and the others to stay in. Is there a certain time you like to eat?"

"Whenever the food is ready." Anzu said with a smile. Caleb nodded.

"You may rest, or look around if you'd like." He told them. Unexpectedly, Anzu took his hand and held it as she spoke.

"Thank, I feared that you might not welcome us, it's a relief." Her smile was tender, to make any man's knees buckle. Caleb blinked in shock for a moment before he smiled.

"That's understanding." Calieve decided to butt in at the moment. She may not truly love her husband, but he was hers at the moment.

"Darling," she growled softly. Caleb pulled away from the Elf Queen's hands and glared up at her, silencing her. Turning back to the Queen and others, he dismissed them to their rooms and everyone else.

Once everyone was gone, he spun around, eyes inflamed. "What the hell?" he snarled.

"You're married to me." She snapped.

"Oh shut it, I saw you eyeing the male elves the whole fucking time. Don't give me that bullshit, Calieve, because I don't take it easily."

"Have you no honor?" she snapped.

"Does my Queen have honor?" he snarled, his eyes flashing dangerously. Calieve decided not to push it, because if she said one more thing he would probably hit her. He had done it before when she had been a bit foolish about a guest. This man expected to be listened to, after all, he was King for a reason.

"I don't like the way she was looking at you." She sniffed.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Stop, enough of this, go do whatever you usually do." He muttered and walked away. Once he was gone, she got up and ran to her room. Ruby, her new servant was getting her bed ready when she walked in.

The woman bowed. "My Queen?"

"Where are the elves staying?"

"In the west wing, My Queen." The servant replied. Her red hair glowed in the light, setting off the gold highlights in her hair that went well with her startling green eyes. She was far too pretty for Calieve's but a servant was a servant.

Turning around she was about to head to the west wing but stopped. Caleb would have put up guards, telling them to not let her anywhere near the elves. "Damn," she muttered. "How do I get ears and eyes in there." She whispered. Then she turned to Ruby. "Ruby, dear."

"Yes?" she said, sounding guarded.

"I want you to serve the elves, find out what you can for me. Is that clear?"

The girl curtsied. "Yes, my Queen."

"Go, now!" she snapped. The girl walked out, heading to the west wing. Calieve grinned. "I have ears and eyes now." She laughed. "Now I have to find a way around that fool of a husband."

* * *

Hmm, wonder what will happen next.

Once again, so sorry for thr crumy names. If you find nothing wrong with them, then I'm thankful. (Though it would be my luck if one of my reviewers happened to be an elf-fan and knows the 'language'. -.-")

I hope you guys liked it and I'll update soon! Thank you and please review. (I should be able to hit 100 with the amount of people who review. How, bout this then. If I don't have a 100 reviews, no update. I have 91 right now, how hard is it to get a 100?)

See ya soon!

Germantownmaiden~


	16. Loving You, and Only You

I'm a back with another chapter! Yay! I have a few thank yous to pass out. To whitethorniedrose who was first 100 reviewer! *has party!* I hope to make more stories that are worthy of 100 reviews(and more) for you guys.

So, let's go to the chapter! BUT . . .

Disclaimer! I own NOTHING!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 16

Anzu was sitting on her bed while Atem was reading a book he had found in the library. "What're you reading?" she asked him as she got up and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stopped reading for only a second to turn and look at her before going back to reading.

"A very rare document about dragon history, I thought, before I saw this, that they had been destroyed."

"Why?"

He sighed and looked at her for a moment before he spoke. "This document . . . is an early description of someone who watched the Creator form dragons . . . those that had this held this as the most prized possession then even their hoards. People of all kind sought this out once, but . . . but then a war happened."

She heard the darkness within his voice, and saw it in his aura. "Between whom?" she asked.

"Humans, elves, and dragons, the three races that were the most prized creation that the Creator loved. The elves believed the Creator loved them the most and vis-versa for the humans and dragons and that thought started everything. Of course, the Creator loved everything he made into being but it was whispered by the other beings that the elves, humans, and dragons were his absolute favorite."

"Do you know if it's true?"

Atem shook his head. "No, I never asked about it, it's painful for my mother to talk about it because it's where my father, the first male dragon created, died. Yugi and Chaya had not hatched yet."

"What about you?"

"I was just about . . . fifty years old and still very young. I remember pieces of my father but that's just about it."

"I'm sorry." She said softly, playing with his blond bangs. Atem merely shrugged.

"I am too, to this day, I can't even cry when I saw him die right before my eyes." That made the air in Anzu's lungs freeze. She tightened her grip on his shoulders and whispered into her ear.

"It's either that or you're being a typical male and don't want to show tears." She heard him suck in a sharp breath before he turned in his seat and hugged her waist.

"You know me too well." he gave a shaky chuckle.

Anzu smiled and wiped away the tears that had gotten past. "You're easy to read." She leaned down and tipped his chin so he was looking up at her. "Usually, it's you who's doing this, but I always liked the thought dominating you." She smiled seductively.

Atem blushed brightly, taking a nice gulp of air as her lips descended upon his. Closing his eyes, he moved forward—

"Hey you two!" Chaya yelled from the other side of the door, stopping their kiss once again. "They're calling dinner now!"

Atem and Anzu turned to the door, both giving it their wonderful Death Glares. "Once I can understand." She muttered, marching towards the door, Atem was right behind her. "Hey did you guys-"

They banged the door wide open. Chaya stood there in complete shook. "hear me?" she squeaked. Her blue eyes were wide and looking very innocent. Once again, she had no idea what she had just interrupted.

"You are going to be sent back to Mother so she can teach you manners." Atem growled, dragging a flailing Chaya to dinner. Kisara came up next to Anzu and whispered into her ear.

"She did it again, didn't she?"

"Yes, and if she does it one more time I'm going to lay an egg."

"Whose?" Kisara smiled slyly.

Anzu opened her mouth but stopped as her brain finally caught up to her mouth. "Shut up!" She hissed as Kisara dissolved into giggles.

"What are you two laughing about?" Joey said, coming up from behind them.

Kisara smiled sweetly at him. "Oh nothing, just about how silly and naïve Chaya is."

Mai, who was standing next to her mate, smirked. "Aw, I'm so sorry Anzu. Just wait until tonight. She's used a lot of magic today; she'll sleep like a rock."

"Good." Anzu huffed. Joey still looked confused, but was assured by Mai that all was well.

"Now, let's head to dinner. I haven't eaten human food in so long. Hey, Anzu, ever had a hamburger before?"

"What's that?" curiosity lit up her blue eyes.

"I'm sure Atem will show it to you one day. He usually goes off somewhere over a period of years. You'll like the 21 century."

There is was again, this '21 century' thing. "What's that?" Mai merely smiled.

"An amazing place, we need to go back and visit, huh, Kisara?"

"Indeed, I've always loved the art there," she sighed. "And the five star hotels, goodness, that one we went to before we left was _amazing_." Anzu noted that Kisara's cheeks were blushing slightly.

_'They did more than enjoy the . . . 'hotel' itself.'_

_'Of course,'_ Atem spoke then, filling her mind with his presence. _'I didn't enjoy it that much because I was still single then, maybe next time I'll show just how _nice_ that hotel is._'

Oh yum, talk about a promise she wanted him to keep. "Dinner!" Joey snapped, pulling Mai along. Kisara and Anzu followed.

* * *

Calieve was in her usual table spot when the elves came in and she couldn't help but grit her teeth together when she heard a servant whisper about them, comparing her to them.

Trying not to break the fine crystal wine glass in her hand, she took a nice gulp of red wine before she set it down once more. Already the people who had said that she was the most amazing woman they'd seen and now here they were, comparing her to some damn elves. Of course her false beauty was going to pale campaired to them; they wouldn't be elves at all if her false beauty was better than theirs!

"Welcome, King Atem, Queen Anzu, and the others of course." Caleb said. They all nodded and smiled.

"We thank you, King Caleb." Atem said.

"This is the Celestial Kingdom, we welcome all races." He said simply, bowing his head slightly.

"Except for dragons." Someone who was sitting at the very end snapped under their breath. The elves froze and turned to where the person who had snapped out their response sat.

Everyone remained quiet until Yugi, Prince of East Woods, spoke into the awkward silence. "Did something happen to make the dragons so . . . disliked here? I thought, like you said, all races were welcomed." He said sharply.

Caleb sighed. "Dragons are welcome, but as you said, they are much disliked here. A few years ago my wife, the original Queen Michaela, was killed as well as the future heir of this kingdom."

Anzu's eyes widened in horror along with Kisara's while the men mostly held back growls of outrage. "How long ago was this?" Atem asked.

"Ten years ago." Caleb said. "But that is the past; I will not reopen old wounds and awaken ghosts." He said softly. Atem nodded. He was beginning to like Caleb as well; he was wise, unlike the past kings who ruled here.

_'Maybe we can get him on our side.'_ Anzu said.

_'Perhaps, but if we do plan on it, then we have to be careful about it.'_

"Now, on to happier moments," Caleb said. "Let's eat!" Cheers went up and soon chatter filled the dinner hall. Laughter exploded in some parts as the alcohol was brought in by the servants.

Joey and Tristan, playing the parts of elves, had to show manners while drinking and for once, from what Mai said, she wasn't embarrassed to say he was with her. Serenity finally warmed up to a few women of the court and giggles soon joined the drunken laughter,

This is what she remembered when she was back in her own home. The days of laughter, the time when even the servants could join in on the fun . . . now, it was so far away.

Atem poked her in the side, making her squeak in surprise. She turned and glared at him. "Oh hush," he said and whispered into her ear. "No more sadness, not tonight, Anzu."

She sighed and leaned against his shoulder, drawing in his warmth. "I think I had too much of that turkey they were serving, I'm so tired." Atem chuckled and turned to Caleb.

"If you will excuse us, we shall return to our rooms to sleep." The King turned from his wife, who was completely and utterly drunk, and smiled.

"Of course you may." Atem nodded and helped Anzu up.

"Have a wonderful night, King Caleb." Atem said and turned but stopped for a moment.

"What's the matter, Atem?" Anzu asked.

"Hold on." He said and walked over to where Chaya was and whispered something into her ear. The girl was about to say something in outrage but Atem whispered something to her again, making the girl blush brightly. Slowly, Chaya turned to Anzu and mouthed the words, _I'm sorry._

Atem came back and pulled Anzu gently along. "She's going to beat herself up for that, you know." She said.

"Oh, I know, trust me. That's why I told her tonight and if she does it once more, she has no choice but to go back to Mother."

"But she has the power to go to different realms too." Anzu said.

"But I'm the eldest, meaning I decided if she stays or not."

Anzu stared at him for a moment before saying, "You know, you're really mean."

Atem laughed as they came to their room. "Yes, I'm mean, but for good reasons." He said and closed the door as Anzu landed on the soft, dark bed. The bed itself was like a room.

It was a wall-like canopy bed with beautiful arches and designs that one would see on a gothic window. The dark wood was smooth and cool to the touch as she let her finger glide over the polished wood.

"I just might steal this bed." She said, smiling. Atem came over and pulled the blankets so that he could crawl in.

"I wouldn't do that, but I do agree with you, this bed is a piece of art."

"Maybe I'll take it for my hoard." She giggled. "This will at least give me a reason to transform into a human from time to time."

Atem shook his head and pulled her closer. Anzu blushed slightly as she realized that he had no shirt on. Drawing circles on his chest she slowly looked up to see him dosing off, but she could tell he was trying to stay awake.

And she knew exactly how to keep him awake.

Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his, a gentle kiss, one that only tested how deep the waters were.

Atem was wide awake now, he kissed her back. Deep, dark, and possessive was how she could describe it as her heart started to do back flips. She felt his tongue stroke against hers sending a shiver down her spine.

Seconds later she was naked before him just as he was to her. She blushed and hesitated for a moment. Atem nuzzled her neck as he whispered into her ear. "I'll be gentle." Anzu froze for a second and stared into his eyes before she closed hers and gave herself to him, body and _soul_.

* * *

Allow me, it's rated _**T**_.

There, I gave you a kiss with one last intruption by little miss Chaya.

Now, I have some questions to answer.

_FearlessMidnightSaphire_, now, I can understand why it throws you off, but to tell you the true, it's how I write and I'm not that bright to come up with my own curse words. The only way I could possibly explain it is, this is a different world from ours, this dosen't come from the past. (Meaning, to get wherever Atem and the gang are in this story(haven't come up with a name for the 'world') you'd have to open a portal, and Atem and his siblings can open portals. So they can go to different places, different times, and I guess you could say that they brought the words into this world. How? How does gossip get around so fast in a school? How does info about a scandel get halfway across a country? ... -.- how indeed... but you get my point, right?

and . . .

_lonewolfgirl-sademo588_, you mean Rubeliara? *Shruggs* At the moment, Ruby is a character to make the whole thing twist a little bit more. At this moment, I have no clue. I guess . . . she was like a last-minute character. Writers do that all the time, right? (I don't know. LOL!)

Thank you for reading! See ya soon!

On a special note. I'm so sorry for those who lost family and friends in the crash of 9/11. My heart goes out to you guys, even to this day. And a very special note to the firefighters who lost their lives to get the people out of the towers. _I'll never forget._


	17. Snooping

Hi everyone, I'm back with another chapter. Sorry for the wait, lack of internet and school of course. So, I've kinda run into a problem, though I don't know if it counts as one, as I introduce new characters to this story my role as 'god' gets a little . . . harder. Yes, the characters have taken over and I find myself with a serious attachment to them . . . (omg, I'm sounding like an actually writer!) so, as you know, I don't usually do cliffies because I don't like cliffies myself. Sadly, I don't know what these characters are about to do so . . . (yes they might like cliffies.)

So, before I start going on and on, Disclaimer, I own NOTHING!

(Btw, one you are finished reading I have something at the bottom you guys might like.)

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 17

A young woman with sparkling blue eyes and shocking light purple hair walked down the hallway with a tray in her hands. Amy Twilight-Fall was a striking girl who was far too pretty to be a servant. She and several others were in charge of serving the elves.

"Amy, hold on." Another young woman said as she jogged to catch up to her friend.

"You wouldn't be running if you would just get up earlier, Lillian." Amy said. The girl pouted, her bleach blond hair tied up in a tight bun that was kept together with a crystal lily.

"If the Queen hadn't gotten drunk last night and demanded to party almost all night long, I would have gotten up." Amy smiled and shrugged.

"What's done is done, now come on, let's get this food to our guests." Lillian nodded and went and knocked on one door while Amy knocked on another, each announcing breakfast. Doors slowly opened and closed once they received the food.

"Need help you two?" a woman asked. Her sparkling green eyes and rich earth brown hair glowed with amusement as she watched the younger girls.

"Emily, I thought Ruby was coming today." Amy said, holding another tray. Emily took it and headed toward Anzu and Atem's room.

"The King gave her strict orders not to serve the elves; he feared she would pull something funny."

"I don't blame him," Lillian said as she messed with a lock of hair that had gotten free of her bun. "I mean, the Queen is beautiful, if she would just have some more damn confidence then she might really shine, but no, she's got to act like a total bitch when someone stands next to her and happens to be a little prettier than her. It's slightly annoying."

Emily nodded. "True that." She knocked on the door in front of her. A full minute passed as the door opened. The Queen of the Elves peeked out; a silk white nightgown covered her. Even if she was just waking up, Emily had to say that she was still amazing.

"Yes?"

"Your breakfast." Emily smiled and held out the tray. The elf queen smiled brightly and took it from her.

"Thank you so much, do you take tips?" she asked. Emily blushed a bit.

"Oh no, My Queen, we don't. We're being paid plenty by the king, so it's no big deal."

Queen Anzu laughed softly and placed a heavy chunk of gold in Emily's hand. "I insist you take it, thank you." She said and closed the door softly. Amy and Lillian came over and peeked at the gold chunk that had been given.

"Wow, that's pure gold," Lillian said. "What are you going to do with it?"

"I have no idea; I could keep it safe if we suddenly have some hard times. Jack wouldn't mind it."

"How is Jack anyway? I haven't seen him much." Amy said as Lillian delivered the last tray.

"Fine as ever, though, he told me he was a bit bored with being a guard, you don't do anything other than stand around."

Amy laughed. "Poor him!"

"What are you guys laughing about now?" The Lillian demanded as she walked up to them.

"Jack, he finds being a guard boring." Amy giggled. Lillian rolled her eyes and turned to Emily.

"You tell him that he was the one who wanted the dang job. No complaining." With that, Lillian marched off to do something else with Amy following her. The girl waved to Emily before disappearing around the corner. The woman smiled and turned and walked off to do the same.

* * *

Anzu munched on a spicy piece of sausage as she thought of how they would go forward now that they were in the kingdom. They would have to be careful, of course, the Queen's spies had to be everywhere.

A muffled moan from the bed brought her out of her thoughts as she turned to her lover. "Morning, Atem. Sleep well?"

"I would have slept longer if you would have stayed in bed, but that's obviously asking too much."

"Obviously." She nodded in agreement, teasing him.

He glared at her before he got up and put on his clothes. She would have watched but she was too busy thinking. When he was putting on the coat he finally spoke. "What are you thinking about so hard over there, Anzu? It's worrying me a little bit." He turned and walked over to the tray and picked up a piece of bread and started to quietly much on it, waiting for her to answer.

"We're in now; we figured that was going to be the hard part, so we didn't exactly go any farther than that." She pointed out.

_'Ah, so that's what she's musing about.' _He thought. It was true, they had thought it was going to be hard, but that had been quite the opposite. _'What do we do indeed?'_ "We could . . . cause little problems for her at first," he suggested. "then move on to some bigger things."

"Like what?"

"Simple things, I saw her throw Duke a few looks. We could ask Duke to lead her on."

"Cheating . . . that's pretty low for Queen." Anzu grinned. Atem smiled.

"Then we can move on to the sleeping and her getting caught."

"Extreme embarrassment." She giggled. He smiled and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"Yes, extreme embarrassment, but I believe, if you want to do some snooping, now would be the time. Hangovers are horrible."

"Hangovers?" she had heard the word before but never really experienced if for herself.

He sighed and patted her on the head. "I think I have too much to teach you." He opened the door and before he left, he turned and spoke to her one more time. "Get dressed and snoop around, you won't find people out and about yet. Joey told me that even the servants got to drink." Anzu brows raised in shock. Even the servants?

Once he left she got dressed in a dress that had a touch of pink in it, the shoes she didn't care for. Even if she stepped on something sharp it wouldn't really hurt her so Anzu went barefoot.

Opening and closing the door quietly, and looked around and made sure no one was in the hallway and went to right. When she turned the corner she heard some giggling coming from the left. Muttering a spell under her breath she disappeared from human eyes and watched as a group of women turned the corner.

"Did you see the Queen last night?" one laughed.

"I know, ever since those elves came along her temper has been shortened."

"It's obvious that she jealous and I wouldn't blame her. After all, since she came here all she's heard was how her beauty is unparalleled, but now . . . she is merely pretty."

One nodded. "Merely pretty indeed. That one elf, Queen Kisara, why, I've never seen such blond hair and her eyes reminded me of ice."

"I don't know about you guys but Queen Mai impressed me the most. Her hair looks to be made out of pure gold and her eyes look so pretty, I wish I had eyes like hers."

"Those Princes looked delicious," one young girl blushed. "I wish I could catch one of them, but then . . . they must be planning to marry those Princesses." She pouted in disappointment.

"Now, Elizabeth, no human could marry them! I'm sure not even the Queen can."

"I know, but one girl can dream, no?"

An older woman, maybe in her fifties, spoke then. "I absolutely adore those Princesses. They remind me of my little girls."

"How so?"

The woman sighed. "One of these days you'll all know what I'm talking about. Those elves may be pretty but for a mother, those elves can never match her children in her own eyes, though I will admit, my girls have human beauty while those elves have inhuman beauty, and of course, there is a difference, but to me, beauty is beauty." She said simply.

Anzu smiled, so that's what a mother's love is. They will see their child as prettiest girl out of all the others. Her heart stuttered in pain as she realized she would never know . . . if her mother thought the same way . . .

"I like Queen Anzu out of all the elves." A young girl said. She looked to be about fourteen of age.

"Why? I admit, she looks so other-worldly with that long hair but . . . she looks plain next to the others."

"Well, she's the ideal role model to me, she's kind, beautiful, and she looks like she can . . . if you shall excuse my language, kick some ass." Shocked gasps came from the other women at the young girl's words.

"That's not proper for a young girl like you to say such words," a blond woman scolded. "Think about what the boys would say. No man wants a wife who talks like that."

Anzu had heard those words before; her step-mother had said them to her.

_A young girl with brown hair and bright blue eyes that glittered in a way that one could only see in a child's eyes, full of curiosity about the world around her, was walking back to her room with a pile of books in her arms. A couple of them dropped, making the girl stop. _

_When she realized that she couldn't bend down to get them, she cursed to herself, or so she thought. "Dear gods, child!" a woman snapped, making the girl turn to see who spoke to her. "How do you expect to get a husband with the words that come out of your mouth?"_

_The Queen, her step-mother, was not under the spell that Derek had put on her. She was still truly young and beautiful. Anzu blushed and bowed her head as the woman passed, not even bothering to help pick up the books._

_She didn't want to leave the books on the floor but her arms were getting real tired. "Need help?" someone asked. A voice from the past, a voice that belonged to someone who was long gone._

_Derek, her first lover, walked over and picked up the books while taking some from the pile in her arms. His brown hair was wet, so he must have cleaned up not long ago and his bright eyes, one blue and the other a shocking green. Anzu remembered once when he came in with the same colored eyes. She questioned him about it, making him shrug._

_"I do this so people don't get freaked out, I mean, could you imagine what people would say about me?"_

_The girl frowned. "But I remember Mama telling me that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, people are the same way. I know you're very nice and maybe a little bit weird, but I wouldn't freak out over it."_

_He smiled, it was almost sad looking. "That's what makes you so special, Anzu. You're kind to everyone." The girl smiled up at him and with a free hand, took his free hand. Derek blushed a little bit but let her pull him along._

Anzu wanted to tell the girl to never let that get in the way; after all, one man might actually like a girl with some spirit. Slowly, she walked up to them and whispered into the girl's ear, very softly.

The girl's eyes widened in shock, making her gasp. "Whatever is the matter, Rosa?"

"I . . . I thought I heard someone." She turned to the women quickly. "But I must have been hearing things." They stared at her for some time before walking again. They spoke of gossip but the girl did not listen to it like she always did, instead, words whispered into her mind.

_Never lose your flame, never lose your spirit._

Anzu walked on, sending a prayer for the Rosa. She came to a crossroads of halls and looked down each one. The hall leading north was busy and crowded, as was the south hall. The only ones that weren't as busy were the east hall, which she had come from, and the west hall.

"West hall." She said. It was a rather dark hallway. All the torches weren't lit up and it looked . . . rather forbidden.

"Who's there!" someone yelled. Anzu spun around and hissed in shock as she looked down. Her shadow. She walked to a dark corner and stayed there as a man with messy brown hair and had orange-ish eyes, or, at least they looked orange to her.

"Jack!" someone whispered harshly to him. "We shouldn't be here, this is the Queen's personally space!" the servant who had delivered their breakfast came up to the guard and pulled him back to the hallway crossroads.

"I saw someone." He said looking back towards the hall. "I know I did."

"Honey bun, you just might be a little stir-crazy. You did say this job was boring." She said, pulling him roughly out of the hallway for good this time. Anzu watched them go, their words buzzed around in her head excitedly. So this hall lead to the Queen's personal area, huh? Snooping around in this place wouldn't hurt at all.

Tip-toeing to the end, she came upon a locked door, but it didn't take locked for long. Grinning as she whispered a spell into the keyhole, she heard a satisfied click, and opened the door.

It was a single room filled with books, boxes, and other things. Shuffling around quietly, she looked through the books and found that they were all rare documents and some of her early diaries. Oh! Talk about yummy-ness! Anzu picked out the first one and found that they were all in order from the time she was sixteen to . . . whatever she was now.

_Dear Diary, _

_Today is the day that I tell Prince Kevin my feelings for him. I must, for I fear these emotions will do something horrible to my heart! Wish me luck, my wonderful diary!_

Anzu tipped her head to the side. This writing was that of a girl, not a cruel-hearted woman . . . what happened?

_Dear Diary, _

_Something horrible has happened! Right when I was about to tell Kevin my feelings for him this girl came up to us, asking for the directions to the castle. Dairy, I thought she was an angel, for her hair was the color of chocolate and her eyes the color of blue ice in the winter. She had the sweetest smile and I couldn't help but tell her._

_When I looked back at Kevin, he wouldn't look at me! He was only looking at the angel! Oh Diary, I my heart feels heavy for what could possibly come._

Anzu looked around and made sure she was still invisible and that she was hiding behind boxes so that no one could see her before she went back to reading. What her stepmother had just described, or who for that matter, was Anzu's mother!

_Dear Diary,_

_I am making friends with the angel I saw, I haven't yet to learn her name, but tomorrow I will. I hope she doesn't have feelings for Kevin, oh how I hope._

_Dear Diary,_

_I have finally found out her name! Adalinda, it's such a pretty name too. My name is only Calieve, what does that even mean, I wonder? But anyway, she's so kind, I wonder if she'll be my friend? I do hope so because she's such an amazing person. She can even fight with a sword! Can you believe it? Usually it's the men that know, but no, she does and she baffles them but at the same time she leaves them grinning and wanting more._

_If I were to do what she does, I would be yelled at for sure. How is it she gets away with it? I shall ask her tomorrow._

Anzu's brow furrowed. Her step-mother wanted to be her real mother's friend? It didn't fit, or rather, something didn't fit.

_Dear Diary,_

_Adalinda blushed when I asked why she got away with sword play. It turns out that she came from a warrior family, and no matter the gender, one was taught how to fight. How I would have loved her family, but she told me that the training was horrible._

_I was raised as a lady, of course now I would hate the training, but if I had been a child still, I might have thought differently. Tomorrow I must ask her if she likes Kevin._

Anzu rushed to the next page, determined to find out what happened but the next three pages were blank. The fourth page was thankfully not blank.

_Dear Diary,_

_What have I done to deserve this? What sin have I done? I loved Kevin with my whole heart . . . forgive me, Diary, I have not written in you for three days. When I asked her the next day, she said she didn't feel any attachment to him. I was thankful, and then a festival was called and we were to get ready. Kevin's father had some news to announce and there was going to be some big celebration over something. _

_Kevin was turning eighteen and he would have three days to choose a bride. It sounded so ridiculous! What does he think this is? A fairytale? Poor Kevin, now I have some competition, darn it! This was not how I planned it, but then I am still his friend, one he went to talk to, I could always get him alone._

_When I pulled him aside and I finally told them to him. He was surprised but that smile that I loved so much spread over his handsome face. He kissed me then and walked away before I could even speak but I was smiling, I know I was because my cheeks still hurt! He loves me, I know he does!_

_But then . . . on the second day, it was horrible. Poor Adalinda was pulled into it. When I went to talk to her she begged me to ask Kevin to get her out of this silly event. I told her I would try, but when I went to ask, the King merely waved me away when I spoke of her request. How horrible, that man. It's a wonder Kevin is actually his son._

_Kevin found me again around nine in the afternoon and I told him then. He said he would get her out of the foolish thing. _

_The third day . . . it turned out that the King made sure that poor Adalinda could not escape, and she and I were rivals! I didn't want it, I tell you Diary and I could tell you that she didn't want it either. When we stood before the King, he chose for his son's bride, Adalinda._

_I swear to you, I think I heard my heart crack in two. Kevin looked completely and utterly shocked while Adalinda fell to her knees, crying. The king was confused but that did not change his mind and that day, for the first time, I saw Adalinda get angry!_

_She said, "I curse you, foolish king! May you get ill from your own cruelty and with the blessing of the dragons, your wealth will vanish, taking with it the respect your people have for you!" _

_I was so shocked, and so was Kevin. Adalinda ran out of the tent, tears falling from her eyes like diamonds. I went after her so I could somehow sooth her heart. When I sat down next to her, she cried and told me how sorry she was. She had known of my love, and yet here she was, taking him from me. It hurt her as much as it hurt me!_

_Many weeks later, the King got very ill and Kevin's wedding was pushed forward. Seventeen and already a king . . . and a saddened Queen._

Anzu found there to be no more pages, the first diary had come to a bitter end. But so many answers and questions came with this. Putting back the first, she got the second one out and opened it up.

_Dear Diary, _

_The wedding is done and over with and I have never seen a sadder bride than Adalinda. Many people believed her to be crying in joy, but those who knew better knew what those tears really were._

_I will not cause any trouble tonight. I will cry while they . . . do what husband and wife do on their wedding night. Diary, my heart hurts, but I have no doubt that Adalinda's heart hurts the most._

The door opened, making Anzu put the book back and hid quickly. Peeking out from behind a box, she saw that it was the Calieve. After reading those inputs in the diaries Anzu couldn't help but wonder what made this woman so bitter.

Calieve was standing in front of a picture, one of Adalinda and her father, Kevin! Why in the world did she have a picture of them? "I bet she's up there with both of you. Dead, and _happy_." She spat. Anzu flinched at the venom in her step-mother's voice. "While I am wasting away having to use a damn ring to hide the ugliness Derek forced upon me. Thankfully, they have good wizards here, so tomorrow I won't need this ring anymore."

Calieve passed for a moment before she snickered. "You both paid the price, Anzu should have been my child, but now, she's no longer of this world, the eyesore I hate is now gone. You both paid for the price, and now you've paid with your lives and your daughter's life."

She wouldn't need the ring? It is true, with Derek dead his curse would weaken, that was why she could wear the ring and appear beautiful, but this meant she wouldn't need it. _'Well, she might lose her bitterness over being ugly.'_ And what was this about her being Calieve's child? Guess that was on thing she would have to read about in the future.

Anzu whispered a spell under her breath, transporting her to the room she and Atem shared . . . and found herself in his arms.

"There you are," Atem said, kissing her forehead. "Where in the world have you been? I've had everyone looking for you."

"Sorry about that, I was just snooping around, and I found out some interesting stuff too."

"Really now, what was it?"

"Turns out that Calieve and Adalinda, my mother, were best friends but Calieve actually loved my father, my mother only saw him as a friend."

"A love triangle, or sorts, then?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded and sat down on the bed, playing with a string. "It turns out; she killed my parent's because mother gave birth to me. Calieve thinks that I should be her child."

Atem's brow arched and he sighed and sat down beside her. "Love . . . makes us think and do insane things, Calieve is no different." Anzu let his words sink in for a moment before agreeing.

The door opened at that moment and a man in armor walked in and bowed. "King and Queen, King Caleb has asked for your presences." He left then, shutting the doors behind him softly. Atem and Anzu looked at each other for a moment.

"You didn't get caught in the room, did you?"

"Not that I know of." She said.

He sighed and got up from the bed then. "Well, I think we should go see what Caleb has to say."

* * *

It's nothing bad, I promise you. ^.^"

So, I have a little contest, I need a few more characters and I fear that if**_ I_** make anymore this story will go . . . somewhere. So, I have decided to make a few more dragons. (Gem dragons.) Now, I have **_FIVE (5)_** spots open. First come, first serve. Leave a review asking what you want out of the choices I give you, so people, you are going to have to look at the reviews yourself so that you don't send in something saying you want to be this when someone else has won that already.

The choises I have are . . .

**Lilac**

**Crystal**

**Firepale**

**Light Amethyst**

**and . . .**

**Aquamarine.**

What I plan to do with these characters, I have yet to plan out, but without these characters, if you guys don't pick any of them, the next update could be a lot **_longer_**. (And I know no one is willing to wait for a very long time.) So please, make this a little easier on me. Pretty please?

You can design what your human form looks like, the name, it's strengths and **_weaknesses_**. Please know that if I get anything that looks like a Mary Sue, and I will have someone who is very good at spying Mary Sues with me, I'm going to either have you change something and put a weakness in and if you are not willing at all to do that, then I will re-open whatever Gem Dragon you picked. I may sound mean, but hey, I need these characters filled and I figuered you guys might like to 'try out' or 'sigh up' for a spot.

Note!: I will tell who has won but I will not tell the names of the characters they choose. (So try and make your name waaaay different from the screen name you have or real name. (If you put your real name up on your profiles) This keeps it a slight surprise for those that don't win or just don't want to try out for the spots and please, if you do win, don't go around boasting about it. (That's mean) **Also! On the review, please only tell me what gem dragon you want to be and if I send you a message, then you've got the part. The rest, designing the character and such, will be through personal message.**

So, with that said, I hope you guys review and choose a gem, thank and have a nice day. (or night)

Germantownmaiden~


	18. Surprises and Shocks!

*Climbs out from wormhole unknown to man . . . and dodges the knives and coconuts*

Hi everyone! Yes, please put those down, I have good reasons, I swear . . . put them down or I'll never update again! . . . Good, good.

Now, I can understand that a few people are mad at me. (I have no doubt.) Just as my profile says, I ran into a serious block and the death of my cat. (Who I took care of since a kitten.) I went into this weird shock and I've come out of it somewhat. (When I say that I mean I'm floating at the moment, but still on the solid ground. ((That makes no sense...)) Anywho, I'm back with an update, rather short, but still, better than nothing, right? Right. Please review. Your reviews do more than just add more reviews to my collection, they cheer me up beyond anything you could believe and I often go back to read them. (Because I find some of them very funny.) And believe it or not, most of the time the amount of reviews I get helps me with the next chapter because I know there's a lot of people looking forward to one of my updates.

So please, pretty please, leave a review. Visitors, you _can do the same._ You don't have to be logged in or have an account and I love your guys reviews just as much as the people who do have accounts here. Everyone is equal.

For those who got me this far, thank you so much for the support. Where would I be without you guys? (That's easy, my mind imploding due to too much ideas.)

Disclaimer! I own NOTHING!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 18

Atem and Anzu walked into the hall, hoping that Anzu wouldn't be in trouble for snooping but that thought was quickly put away when they saw a lot of people who looked excited about whatever news King Caleb was about to say. She leaned closer to him and whispered into his ear. "Guess I'm not in trouble."

"Thank the Creator for that." He sighed. When he came to stand in front of Caleb, who decided not to sit on his throne this time, he smiled and slightly bowed his head. "You called for us?"

Caleb smiled brightly. "I did. I would like to announce that in your honor for coming here, we're having a festival for everyone. A chance, you could say, to see what it's like around here."

Atem looked to Anzu who gave him a small smile. To everyone around them, it was merely an agreement, but to the dragons, it meant doing a little mischief wouldn't be so difficult. "It sounds like a wonderful idea, King Caleb. How long will this last?"

"Three days. The first day is to ensure that the old and elders alike get to enjoy the festivities; the second is for the children. Last time parents lost many of their children, we even caught a few men who had stolen many and were about to travel to sell them for slaves. Sadly, we didn't get all of them back so the Good Wizard court and I decided to make a day for them to enjoy without having to worry about their children. The third will be for everyone else who hasn't gone. Young couples, single men and women, you get the idea."

Anzu blinked. It was all so . . . organized. Had she remained human and run away from her home before the whole incident with Calieve telling Derek what to do, this would probably be the place she would run to.

"It must save plenty of problems." Atem said. Caleb grinned.

"You wouldn't believe it, but it's not as crowded here as it used to be before the whole 'three days' thing."

"I'm sure." He said. Anzu stepped forward, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"King Caleb, I know this would be breaking the ideas for the festival with all the three days and the elders going first than the children, but I was wondering, if we could, perhaps, go all three of the days. To meet everyone."

"Why would you want to do that?" Calieve spoke, a small sneer on her face. "You can have just as much fun on the third day."

"Like I said, I wanted to meet as much people as I could, is that so wrong?"

Caleb stepped in at that moment. "Not at all, I will, for once, allow you all to be an exception to the rules I made," he smiled but quickly glared at his wife before returning to Anzu. "As long as you abide with the rules I set?"

"Of course!" she said quickly.

"Then it is a deal."

Anzu smiled, for once, in the presence of her step-mother, she felt truly happy. Caleb sucked in a sharp breath and stared at her with wide eyes. "King Caleb," Atem said quickly. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he said, smoothing out a non-existent wrinkle. "But . . . just for a moment there, Queen Anzu, you looked like my departed sister, Adalinda."

* * *

MWA HA HA HA HA! MORE TWISTS! *This has been a message by- Germantownmaiden.*

* * *

Calieve was standing on her balcony staring down at the tiny houses that were alight with lanterns. She could just make out the elves speaking to the elderly and introducing themselves.

Derek's curse was removed and she no longer had to use the ring. Even though she looked twenty-years-old again it didn't lessen the whispers of their beauty compared to hers. It got under her skin and made her core boil.

"My Queen." A familiar voice rang through the air. Calieve turned and saw her servant, Ruby. Another annoyance.

"You haven't been able to get in, still?" she snapped at the girl.

"No, my Queen. The King has been firm on it." She said. Calieve snarled and dragged her long nails across the stone.

"Damn him, _damn __him_" she shrieked. Ruby watched her silently.

"My Queen . . . why did you want me to watch them? They are merely elves."

Calieve rolled her eyes. "Foolish child. Elves do not mingle with a human, that is a well known fact and when a large group like them comes here it usually means they're here for something, and I want to know what."

* * *

The festival was alive with the elderly shuffling along the paths at their own paces smiling and saying hello to familiar faces. Anzu smiled and watched as the people walked past them.

For a moment, she envied them. Almost all of them had to be grandparents by now and from what she learned, when her children grew up to leave and make it on their own in the world, they would never come back to say hello or visit. Atem said it was rare, but some chicks did come back to visit their parents, but . . . it was rare. It pained her heart, but thankfully, they didn't have to have chicks for some time.

"I'm totally going to win this, Joey, and you know what?" Chaya laughed. They were standing in front of a booth, throwing rings on bottles.

"What?" he snapped back as he continued to throw the rings on.

"You're going to show Anzu the Chicken Dance, perform it too! Mwa ha ha ha!" she laughed.

"WHAT? I don't wanna!" with that he started to throw rings on bottles a lot faster. Anzu tipped her head to the side and turned to Atem and whispered into his ear,

"What's the . . . Chicken Dance?" Atem's brows shot up and the corners of his mouth twitched. He was obviously fighting off laughter.

"Ah . . . now the Chicken Dance is something we discovered in the 21st centaury. It's a rather amusing piece. Though I have no idea who made it, I'm glade they did though. Joey is a pro at it, he even has an award."

"For a dance?" Anzu eyed him suspiciously, suspecting that he was pulling her leg.

He chuckled and turned to Seto who was talking to Kisara. "Seto, do remind me when we visit the 21st centaury again to take Joey to _that_ bar. Anzu needs to know the Chicken Dance."

Kisara broke out in her bell-like laugh and leaned on her lover as she clutched Seto's shoulder, who was grinning. "Will do." He said and then nodded his head toward the booth. "Is that what she's challenging him over?"

"Yep." Atem laughed. Chaya and Joey ignored the whole conversation and continued to throw the rings. At this point, it looked as though there was no clear winner until a young man came out of no where. His hair was a black-brown color and slightly tanned.

He ran right into the female dragon.

This gave Joey the perfect opportunity to win and, or course, he took it. Chaya got up as the young man did and spun on him with all her fury. "What in the fucking hell! Watch where you're . . . you . . ." her yelling stopped as she trailed off, her eyes wider than plates. Anzu got a closer look at him now and noted that he looked a little older than Chaya's human form and his dark hypnotizing eyes.

He had the body of a man but . . . there was a childish, innocent look to him.

"YOU!" Chaya and the boy yelled at the same time.

Atem barked out a laugh. "Well I'll be! If it isn't Soren, my favorite little troublemaker!" The boy, Soren, turned and smiled.

"Same to you." He gave the dragon god a brotherly hug and turned to Anzu. "And who is _this_?" he asked. Soren looked her up and down, his dark eyes glittering in the lantern light. Suddenly, he didn't look very innocent to Anzu anymore.

Chaya was suddenly in front of her friend and gave a powerful swing of her fist, hitting him right in his face. Like a rag doll almost, Soren was flung backwards, blood spewing from his nose like a fountain. "Are you _kidding _me?" she snarled, strangling his neck and shaking him at the same time. "For four hundred years you leave me utterly alone to deal with two brothers with no help annoying them and you _dare __flirt_ with my brother's future mate! I should send you into a wormhole where you can never return!" she threw him again . . . over to the next section of booths.

"Let's go." She growled. "Now."

Anzu watched her friend go before turning to Atem. "She likes him, as in, likes him, likes him." Atem grinned, nodding.

"Yes she does, and so does Soren, but he chases too many girls at the moment to realize what's in front of him, at the moment." He amended. Anzu sent a prayer for Chaya that her life would be in order soon.

"Yeah! I don't have to do the Chicken Dance!" Joey said, grabbing Chaya's attention.

"Dammit! That jerk messed me up! Rematch, Joey." The girl demanded.

"Hell no!" Joey took off towards some food no doubt with Chaya following him. Mai sighed, slightly disappointed.

"I was looking forward to seeing that dance again too." She pouted and looked over to Atem. "There's always next time, eh?"

"Always next time." Atem agreed.

* * *

I wonder where this will go... anyway. I need to go work on the next chapter, the characters are taking over this story. My 'god' power at the moment is 20%. (It was once 15% but Soren decided to calm down . . . a little bit.) People who won the dragon gem entries, you will be in it, I'm just working things out right now. . . . ! Oi! Soren, stop tormenting Chaya! NO! Chaya, that's my mom's vase, you can't use that to smash him in the head, hey, Atem, Anzu! Get out of the room! I don't want you two alone! Wait a minute, Seto! What're you doing? OMG, you can't hack the government from that computer! I'll be shut down!

(Help me!)

*Sign that says, "Have a nice day, or night!"*


	19. Poison

Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter of Dragon Princess! Thank you for the reviews you guys! For your award, LONGER CHAPTER! Yay! (Bout 5 pages.) So, let's get this started!

Also! For those who've forgotten, Adalinda is Anzu's MOTHER. (the real one. Yes! That's means Anzu has . . . *drumroll* . . . an UNCLE! Shocking, no?)

Disclaimer! I own NOTHING!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 19

The dragons left when the elders did, since it had come to an end until tomorrow, the festival lights were being put out by wind fairies and booths were closing. Chaya had cooled down somewhat and Soren was no where to be seen. Anzu had asked where he was but was told that he was no doubt hiding from some older brothers he had probably pissed off.

When they returned to the castle the banquet hall celebration for the nobles was in full force, Joey and Tristan, playing the elves part, walked gracefully in and sat down. The others joined them and where there would be respectable silence there was laughter and smiles, tonight was a night of being friends. When Atem and Anzu sat down food was almost instantly put in front of them.

Seems like the servants were having some fun too.

Atem chewed his salad slowly while Anzu took only little bits of hers since she was enjoying the red wine. As the night went on, sleep was reaching out to everyone, telling them it was time to rest. People got up, wobbly due to the alcohol, and stumbled off to their beds.

Atem and the others were already gone.

Anzu hummed as she slipped on her silk nightgown and flopped down on the bed. "Oh . . ." she sighed. "Long day."

Atem smiled down at her. "Then it'll no doubt be longer tomorrow."

"Anything but that!" she gasped. Atem's brow rose. "If the day gets any longer, then I wouldn't get to spend more time with you." He chuckled as he walked over to her and was about to press his lips against hers when he stopped. His face lost all color. "Atem?" she whispered. Anzu got up but a second later she rushed over as he almost toppled to the ground. "ATEM!"

* * *

The other dragons, with their wonderful hearing, heard Anzu scream and it didn't take long before Yugi and Chaya bashed the door down.

The elder dragon god was on the ground, already looking dead but thankfully the power of his fire was already surrounding him, trying to heal whatever had happened to his body. "What happened to him?" Chaya demanded as she slumped beside Anzu.

"I don't know! We were getting ready for bed when he just . . ." Anzu closed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know!" Tears got past her and trickled down her face as Mahado and Seto picked Atem up carefully.

"Mana, could you find out what's wrong with him?" Rebecca asked. The girl nodded and rushed forward, the spell already done as she placed her hand on his forehead.

A pink glittering light surrounded him, searching his body for answers, but as the glittering light traveled upward it slowly turned black and then the glitter was gone, leaving an endless black nightmare. Mana hissed.

"He was poisoned! It was accidental either, I know that poison, and there's enough in his system to kill ten humans at once." She clenched her teeth together. "We're just lucky that Atem is who he is."

Anzu turned to face the dragon. "Mana, why is . . . ?"

"It pure below the waistline and black at the top? Simple, this poison was made to shut down the mind, trapping that person in eternal pain until their heart just can't take it anymore and it gives out in grief, fear, whatever the nightmare is, the poison makes them go through it again and again."

"Who made it?" Kisara whispered.

Mana shrugged. "Who knows, the elves are out of it though, because they care for life, filthy human or not, they refuse to kill anything."

"I thought elves were ready to defend their land, their home."

"That's different than murdering a human for the fun of it." Mahado explained. "Elves will kill for those things in war, or if a group of humans do serious offense, but it has to be something big for that to happen, like chopping down their mother tree. Do that and they'll be out for your blood, but usually if the humans just chop down the young trees, the elves will tolerate them."

"So would someone explain why they won't kill out in cold blood, Atem is a dragon god, lot different than a human." Anzu huffed.

"That's true, but the elves would never come to this city, they stay in their own city in the Forest. They're mostly the reason why it changes all the time. They don't want their home to be found. Besides, they're too prideful to use poison, they'll fight."

"Ok, that explains how the oh-so-wonderful Circle was in front of me when they got me, but why won't they kill?"

"Ever hear of dark elves, hon?" Mai asked.

"No . . . ?"

"If an elf continues to kill in cold blood, they turn into a dark elf and lose the holiness that they were born with, and not many want that." Anzu nodded. That made sense. She looked up to see flames form a band of fire around his forehead. A good sign that his powers were already fighting back the poison.

Chaya headed for the door. "Where're you going?" Yugi asked.

"I have a good feeling who did it." She growled. "And I'd love to slowly ring her neck."

"I wouldn't do that." Ulrick said, appearing out of no where. "We know it was probably her, but we have no proof, and the Good Wizards want proof."

Anzu turned from Atem to face her old friend. "So we play dumb?"

"That would be the best choice. Have Joey, Mai, Seto, and Kisara stay with you, that will give an impression of a meeting of sorts where the princes and princesses are not allowed to be in. This will give every one of you time to look around some more. The whole castle will be out and about. Servants will be taking their children to the festivities so the royals won't be doing much." He explained.

Anzu was liking this, if they agreed to the plan, she could have more time to look at those diaries.

"Can we all agree to this?" Ulrick asked. There was a moment of silence before Chaya nodded.

"Yeah, but how long will it take him to heal?"

"If the old man stays in bed tonight, tomorrow, and sleeps through the night, he'll be all set for the next day."

Finally, the others agreed but before they left they gave some of their energy to their friend. Anzu crawled beside him and snuggled against him, she took her energy and gave it to him, but unlike the others, this was a continuous stream of energy.

It might or might not speed up the healing process but she was going to help him in any way possible.

* * *

The next morning Anzu was dressed in a simple blue dress. Atem had gotten better; in fact, there were times where she could contact him through the mind. Once she had made sure that no one was going to even try and enter their room, and putting a few lock spells on the doors, she went off to Calieve's personal room to look at the diaries again.

Slipping past the security once more, she went straight for the books and found them in the same place. Sitting down, she grabbed the one she had been reading a skipped a few pages, but stopped when she found an interesting entry.

_Dear __Diary,_

_Even though they are now married, we have come up with an agreement, I will be the one to bear Kevin's child and Adalinda will raise him or her. We dare not tell anyone for if this was found out, I would probably be sent to a whore house for sure and if I was with child, the royal line would simply keep it secret, wait for the babe to be born, and then send me away. Kevin told and warned me of this, but I love him too much. I will walk through fire for him._

Anzu blinked a few times, so . . . did she have a half brother out there, somewhere? She flipped a few pages, finding them simple records of Calieve's pregnancy with her half-brother. But on the third month, Anzu saw the beginnings of the woman she knew now.

_Dear Diary,_

_I have been betrayed! Adalinda is with child! How could she? What about the agreement between friends that we made to each other? Does it mean nothing to her? I should have know this would happen. Adalinda says she didn't plan on this child and gods I cannot lie, but I hope she has a miscarriage!_

Anzu felt a chill run through her. There she was, there was the Calieve that Anzu knew. Quickly, she flipped a few more and stopped on the sixth month. It was this entry she found out that there was no siblings.

_Dear__Diary,_

_I__.__.__.__I __have __lost __my __baby; __I __have __lost __my __baby _boy_! __What __has __my __little __baby __done __that __he __must __die __early? __Nothing!__Adalinda __tries __to __comfort __me, __but __I __refuse __her __presence, __I __don__'__t __even __want __to __look __at __her __or __Kevin. __They __would __probably __be __giving __me __lies __themselves. __I __bet __they __didn__'__t __want __my __babe __to __be __born __now __that __they __were __having __one __of __their __own. __I __am __seething __in __anger!_

Anzu quickly put it down and let what she had read sink in. Her hand lashed out to the diary that no doubt held her reaction upon they're first meeting. She flipped it open and started to read it.

_Dear __Diary,_

_I've returned to get Kevin back, and I will get my revenge, I will have it! When I came back the castle was filled with warmth. Of course Kevin would do that for a castle, but it was not the changes that enraged me so, it was his daughter!_

_Short brown hair and blue eyes, though Adalinda had longer hair and icy blue eyes, I can see who she has taken after. The unfairness of it all! While that blasted woman's child thrives and lives, my baby boy had to die! For all I know, Adalinda's child could have taken my son's life force, killing him. I will make the child feel the pain of loss that I had to go through, one parent at a time._

Anzu closed it quickly and left. So this was why Calieve hated her. The queen believed that Anzu had taken her baby's life, and the very thought was foolish! There was no reason to take energy from others.

Atem had told her that to take a life form's energy was a direct insult to the Creator. He decided death and life, only darkness could take energy. Giving energy on the other hand was a lot different.

As she left, Anzu failed to notice two people coming around the corner and- "Ow!" a yell went up, snapping Anzu from her thinking haze to a girl who was now on the floor. She had black hair and bangs that framed her face perfectly. She was shockingly pale and when she opened her eyes, Anzu met the most interesting pair of eyes she had ever seen.

The girls right eye was a rich coffee brown and her other, an orange color that reminded Anzu of a sunset or sunrise. A boy was behind the girl, looking down at her with a worried look. His hair was also black but unlike the girl, it wasn't a solid color. His hair was tipped with the color of the waters of paradise and he had a touch of tan to his skin.

When he looked up, Anzu saw the cold freezing waters of the North. His eyes were such a deep blue that they looked black almost and upon a closer look at his eyes, she could see that his lashes were tipped with the same color on his hair.

"Kenna! You should be more careful around corners." He said softly. The girl named Kenna blushed slightly and looked up at Anzu.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to run into you."

Anzu smiled. "It's fine, just be more careful in the future, alright?"

"She will," the young man said. "Won't you, Kenna."

Kenna got up with a smile. "Yeah, my bad, by the way, what's your name? I didn't catch it."

"Anzu, I'm the main-"

"You're the main elf Queen!" The boy gasped, but when they both turned to look at him he blushed. "Ah, sorry."

"It's fine." Anzu laughed. "What's your name since you know mine?"

"Seafo, my name is Seafo." He said. Kenna wrapped an arm around his shoulders, promptly making the boy blush once again.

"Isn't it a cool name or what? I personally like it." Kenna laughed. Seafo was blushing furiously now.

"K-Kenna!" he whispered and grabbed her arm and pulled her down the hallway. "Have a nice day, Queen Anzu!" he called over his shoulder and disappeared around the corner with Kenna following. Anzu watched them go with a smile. She liked them and really hoped to them again. They were the unlikely pair she had ever seen.

Seafo was shy and liked to wear black while Kenna loved to wear bright colors. It made her wonder what else was so different between them.

_'__Anzu.__'_ A faint whisper in her mind, but that was all it took to have her hooked.

_'__Atem! __Are __you __alright? __Do __you __need __anything?__'_

_'You.'_

_'Coming as fast as I can.'_

She said and rushed off to her room, taking off the spells and looked over at the bed. His eyes were still closed but his mind was already healed.

_'__You __alright, __Atem?__'_

_'I've recovered to the point where I can contact through the mind, but that's it.'_

_'Ulrick says if you sleep in all day and tonight, you'll be up once more for tomorrow.'_

_'Is our cover blown?"_

_'No, we're holding a 'royal elf meeting' so no one is going to think otherwise.'_

_'__Smart, __smart. __Wonderful, __do __you __mind __sharing __your step-__mother, __Calieve. __I __don__'__t __like __to __be __poisoned._

_'__I __know __you __don__'__t, __and __you__'__re __my __mate, __of __course __I__'__m __going __to __let __you __have __some __of __her. __Just __be __warned __that __your __siblings __are __really __angry.__'_

_'Oh gods. There'll be nothing left!" _he laughed.

_'Let's hope.'_

Atem smiled finally and Anzu crawled under the bed and snuggled against him, for once, after a full day of this mess, she was happy to have her lover back and someone to talk to.

* * *

There we go, the end of this chapter. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who it is. So, as the plot deepens and school becomes more consuming, updates will be much slower. (But I'm not gonna stop! NEVER!)

Thank you for reading, have a nice day!


	20. Moon Roses

Hi guys! Been a while, yes, I know but here I have is SEVEN pages worth of words. So it's a little treat for you guys. I just made this chapter all the more complicated when I added a few more characters to join . . . what's wrong with my head? Anyway. Please enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer, I own NOTHING!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 20

Kenna Sketch woke up feeling fired up for the new day, like she always did. Flipping her covers off, she ran and grabbed a pair of pants specifically made to fit her, a dress that allowed her plenty of leg room, and a corset that didn't chock the air out of her lungs too much.

Once everything was on she ran to her door and slammed it open . . . hitting Soren in the face. "OW! What the fu-"

A girl hit him upside the head before he could complete the word. Her pale gold hair glowed in the warm sunlight that was now spilling over the land, making the stars flee; her shocking pale blue eyes gave him a full warning, one that even a blind man could see. "No bad words." Soren glared at her.

"What makes you think you can make me stop saying them?" he stuck his tongue out and tried to bolt out of the house as she went after him.

Kenna watched them with a smile. "It's alright, Shard, it's not like he's hurting anyone."

"But still, I don't like those words." She glared at the boy as she spoke, wishing she could get her hands on him but she couldn't due to the fact that he clung to the ceiling making stupid and ridiculous faces at her.

Kenna took it all in stride like she usually did. She grabbed a broom and Shard at the same time, pulling her away from Soren as she poked the broom at him, making him fall down.

"Ow!" he yelled.

"Hey, Ashok, is breakfast ready?"

"Yes!" a young woman called back. Ashok walked out from where the kitchen was to see what was going on. She had violet, serious eyes with long dark, almost black, brown hair and when the sun hit it, blonds, blacks, and a hit of red and auburn strands were revealed, but what set everything off was her golden skin, making her stick out more exotically when she stood next to her pale friends.

"Svabol ui gethrisjir shafaer tenpiswo?"* someone muttered from behind Ashok, making everyone turn to see the wonderful Seikaru, another young woman who liked to stick to the old draconic language, a language that most dragons didn't use anymore.

"English please!" Soren snapped. Ashok glared at him for a moment, silencing any more mean words that attempted to come out, before turning back to Seikaru.

"Wer asadsada." Seikaru blinked before laughing. Her red eyes glittered with humor while her black purple hair swished a little as she shook her head.

"Soren reminds ve di vi munthrek si huena vucata, jaci xurwka vi jikael statue." She laughed, holding her sides. Ashok smirked a giggled a bit.

"Svanoa amusing." Soren looked back and forth, much like Kenna and Shard were doing.

"What did she say about me?" Soren demanded. Ashok turned to him with a mean smirk on her face.

"Oh nothing, just this and that, but nothing _dangerous._" She said, walking back into the kitchen with Seikaru following. Kenna smiled.

"It was defiantly something dangerous; want to find out, Soren?"

"Hell no!" With that he ran out, not even bothering to eat. They watched him go. Kenna turned to Seafo who had just crawled out of bed.

"Guess what? We have more food to eat today." She said cheerfully.

* * *

Anzu awoke refreshed and full of energy. She moved her hand where Atem was laying but found the bed empty! Her blue eyes snapped open and she instantly sent her mind out to find him.

"Anzu." A deep voice said softly, making her turn towards a set of two chairs. He was sitting down, watching her. He was wearing black pants and a loose white shirt that was partially open at the neck, giving her a small view of his chest. Getting up she nearly ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her into his lap.

"How are you feeling?" she said softly as she snuggled into his neck. He sighed and held her closer.

"Much better. In fact, tonight we won't be at the festival for long."

"Why?" she asked. He smiled then.

"We have some things to do."

"And what's that?" she asked, curious. Atem chuckled and shook his head.

"You'll find out later today, Anzu. Get dressed; we have to make an appearance before everyone today. Mai, Joey, Seto, and Kisara are waiting on us." Nodding as she pouted, she got up from his lap and went to the wardrobe and pulled out a crimson silk gown and put it on.

After putting on some silk slippers she walked out to see her friends. Seto walked over and gave his cousin a smack in the shoulder. "Don't do that again." He said.

Atem laughed. "I don't know if there's poison in my food, Seto and I'm not going to check every time."

"You better start checking now." Anzu huffed at him, grabbing him by the arm. Rolling his eyes, Atem pulled her along to the throne room where everyone was waiting, but before he could even turn to the next hallway he was bombarded by his two siblings.

"Atem!" they cried out. Yugi and Chaya glomped their older brother, making him fall over on the ground.

"Hey you two," Atem laughed, patting their heads. "I'm alive, now please let go." They both reluctantly let go.

"You sir," Chaya said. "Scared us, you should be ashamed for doing so." Atem blinked and looked a little closer at his sister. She had been crying, so had Yugi. He sighed.

"What would you two do without me." He muttered and messed with their hair, which they both secretly appreciated. They hugged each other for a few moments and for a second, Anzu saw the sibling love that almost everyone talked about having with their brothers or sisters. It made her a little envious, she didn't have any siblings which she could hug and tease.

Atem finally got up and wiped the dirt that was on his pants. "Now, let's go to the throne room."

"Can we go for Calieve?" Chaya asked.

"No. Though I will admit, I want a piece of her now that she actually thought she could get away with this, but we're here for one thing, Anzu. It's her revenge, it's her call. If she shares, than you two can go at her first."

Yugi sighed. "Fine." Chaya growled. Atem took Anzu's hand and they walked to the room they were headed to.

_'__Atem.__'_

_'__Hmm?__'_

_'What do we tell them where we were? I have a feeling that they're going to ask what the meeting was all about.'_

_'__We__'__ll __say __something __about __the __forest __and __such. __Seasons __and __balance, __the __usual __thing __that __elves __talk __about.__'_ He said.

Anzu nodded and she went quiet for a moment before she thought of something. _'__Atem.__'_

_'Yes?'_

_'What happens if actual elves come to the city? I'm sure they wouldn't like it if they found dragons impersonating their own kind.'_

Atem stopped at that, making everyone turn to him. "Atem, what's up buddy?" Joey asked.

"Anzu just brought up a point, something I should have taken care of a while back."

"And that was . . . ?"

"Actual elves." He said, which explained everything.

"Shit," Seto muttered. "We defiantly forgot about that fact, and don't they walk by the kingdom every so often? If they hear the town's people talking about elves, the real ones are going to wonder."

Atem's eyes narrowed in concentration. "I guess we're going to have to go out and try and meet a patrol or something, at least I hope we do."

Anzu was a bit nervous as to what could possibly happen tonight but then again, she couldn't help but feel a bit excited. She could possibly see actual elves! After Atem said that he had a plan they went of to the throne room and explained to the people of the court that the meeting was nothing about them.

The day passed surprisingly fast, even with Calieve sneering at them and looking a little bit shock, probably because one of them was still alive. Anzu caught Atem up on her step-mother's secrets which he was almost constantly rolling his, but when she went on to explain that she had lost a child, he paused in his eye rolling.

_'__Hmm__.__.__.__'_

_'__What __is __it?__'_ she asked, holding his hand as they walked through the halls alone together.

_'__I __once __knew __a __female __dragon __who __lost __her __only __chick, __the __Creator __had __been __sad __to __take __it, __but __he __told __her __that __was __how __the __balance __was. __She __went __on __a__kind __of __rampage __destroying __nests __and __killing __eggs.__'_

_'__How __horrible!__' _Anzu gasped. Atem nodded but there was a flash of sadness in his eyes.

_'__Yes, __it __was __horrible, __much __potential __life __was __lost __that __year __. __. __. __but __nobody __had __the __heart __to __blame __the __female __dragon.__'_

_'__Why?__'_ Anzu asked, confused.

_'__Because, __she __was __merely __a __mother __who __was __lost __in __her __grief __for __her __only __chick, __and __every __mother __doesn__'__t __want __to __know __that __pain.__'_

_'But there are those who did.'_

_'True, but what you don't know is that the female dragon could not have anymore eggs. The chick that had died was her miracle baby. Her only shot at being a mother.'_

Anzu sucked in a shocked gasp and turned to look at him. He sighed and shook his head. "Things happen, and sadly, sometimes they happen in the worst ways." She silently agreed and shivered, she hoped, she prayed that would _never_ happen to her. Atem must have been reading her mind because he wrapped his arm around her a little tighter.

"The female was just as old as my mother, Anzu. That situation won't happen to you for a long time, and let's hope it never will happen to you." He said softly.

_'__So __you__'__re __saying __that __Calieve __. __. __. __just __might __be __a __little __crazy, __like __the __female __dragon?__'_

_'__It__'__s __a __possibility.__' _Atem said. _'__The __flip __side __is __she __could __be __plain __evil.__'_

_'I keep believing that she's evil, but what if she has gone a little crazy? Then I would be punishing her for no reason . . .'_

_'She killed your parents, a very conscious action, an evil act, Anzu. She needs to pay for her actions; it does not matter what or who she lost.'_

Anzu nodded and was about to speak again when a large bang filled the air. They both turned to see the fireworks lighting up the twilight sky. The thousands of bright stars in their blooming glory as the moon rose to take command of the throne in the sky. Its moonbeams casting shadows through-out the village as they started to hang up the decorated lanterns for the final day.

Stepping out on the nearest balcony, Anzu stretched out, bathing in the pale light. For a moment, she let her power that she was always holding in check go. Magic was in the air tonight, and because dragons were so in tuned with magic, Anzu felt part of it. Her own magic leaped out from her and welcomed new magic. She turned to see Atem and stopped.

The pale light had washed out all the colors, turning everything silver. Only his crimson eyes stood out. He looked like some wild heavenly being with his mark. "You look beautiful." He said softly. She smiled and held out her hand.

"So do you, come, dance with me before we go." He chuckled and stepped forward, taking her hand and twirled her around expertly. As they danced under the stars, a pair of secret eyes watched them.

"I did tell you, Anzu." Ulrick said softly. "The stars whisper about you." He looked up into the blooming night sky and for a moment, he saw Adalinda. Her long brown hair faded into the starry sky and her icy blue eyes glittered with so much light and happiness that he wondered how she could bear it. She turned to him and said something to him, though he could not hear what she said, he knew.

He smiled and bowed. "Your welcome, Adalinda." The woman smiled and slowly, the image faded and was replaced by a Sapphire Dragon. Two more figures stood by the dragon. Ulrick could easily see Kevin, but the former king did not turn to face the ancient wizard, he had eyes only for his daughter as he smiled. A trace of tears in the corner of his eyes.

The last one was young, a bit smaller. Ulrick squinted but gasped softly as he recognized the messy brown hair of his apprentice. Derek glowed with happiness, much like Adalinda and Kevin, but there was a hint of sadness. The boy turned to his former Master and smiled, it was a shaky one, but Ulrick got the message.

He loved her; he wished he was still there . . . but she was suited so much more Atem. The three figures disappeared and suddenly . . . there was absolute peace, as if a heavy air had lifted somehow. "Peace is nice, isn't it, Adalinda?" As if to answer, the wind blew gently. Ulrick turned back into the young man he once was and let the gentle soothing wind play with his hair. "I'll see you soon, Adalinda." He said softly.

* * *

"Atem, come on! Tell me!" she demanded as he pulled her along, away from the festival.

"I want it to be a surprise." He said and suddenly stopped. He looked around a tree and smiled. "Found it." He said softly and turned to her. "Wait for my signal." He disappeared into the trees for a moment before bush branches were moved out of the way.

Carefully, she stepped though and her breath froze in her lungs. What was before her was a small lake lit up by the moon and around it, roses that were glowing brightly. Stepping closer to one, she noted the purples and blues in the flowers. She looked over and jumped a little.

Atem was a dragon once again. He blinked and spoke then. "These flowers . . . your mother made these flowers. The elves had helped her stop an evil shadow creature and in return, she made them a flower that only bloomed by the moonlight. When I found them, I decided to bring you here so you could get one flower and plant it within the cave."

"Is that possible?"

"Yes, she made these roses so that they could grow anywhere. This small cove is called Adalinda's Moon Roses, in honor for her." Anzu could barely breathe as she cupped a flower and breathed in its fragrance. It was like smelling paradise with a splash of heaven. She turned to the small pool then and looked in it.

It was clear and at the bottom . . . Anzu reached down through the water and touched hard sapphire. She wondered . . .

_'__Show __me __my __mother, __Adalinda.__'_ She asked the water silently. The water shimmered and an image formed on the surface. A woman with long brown hair and icy blue eyes looked back at her.

"You truly are the image of your mother." Atem commented. Anzu nodded, still entranced by the image of her mother. It was like looking in the mirror now. The only difference was the color of blue eyes.

Suddenly a noise distracted her. Atem snarled as elves appeared out of no where, standing around Atem and in . . . front of her? It clicked, they though she was an elf and from when Atem had said before, dragons and elves were still on a touchy relationship.

"Hold the beast." A smooth voice commanded. Anzu couldn't help but turn in the direction of that voice. He had a smooth face and cat-like green eyes that reminded her of one of the many cats she had in the past. He was lean and looked powerful.

"I am Arbellason, leader of the elves, this dragon," he snapped, glaring at Atem. "Will not bother you any further."

Anzu blinked a few times before she turned to Atem. "I thought you said that they would be able to see through this?" she asked, pointing to herself, letting him know that she was talking about the disguise.

Atem merely shrugged. "I guess you made yours a little more solid than most. Which is impressive, I might add."

Anzu sighed and turned to the elf king. "I thank you for this, but I am fine with Atem. He is a friend. He brought me here because . . ." she stopped, not knowing what to say.

The other elves had stopped paying attention to the dragon and were now staring at the elf woman. "These flowers were made by Adalinda . . . correct?"

"Yes," Arbellason said, staring at the flowers with a small smile. "One of the greatest dragons I've had the pleasure of meeting."

"Yes . . . so I am told." Anzu said with a sad smile. "My mother was a great dragon indeed." That grabbed everyone's attention.

One of the elf warriors stepped forward. "Your name."

"Anzu."

"Anzu . . . Adalinda was a dragon, you are an elf." Atem chuckled at that, making the elves turn back to him. Anzu looked about and noticed more elves were here, some children and women.

"Fools, look beyond the magic which she surrounds herself in, and you might be able to see why she does not fear me, or you for that matter." The elf king glared before turned back to Anzu.

He continued to stare until she sighed. "It might be better if I showed you myself." She stepped away to stand beside Atem as a blue mist surrounded her. Anzu heard shocked gasps as she felt herself get bigger, her hair turned into scales and wings spread forth from her. Her nails became sharp swords and her teeth got longer.

When the transformation was complete the blue mist disappeared and she looked down at the elf king. "I am very much Adalinda's daughter, and the fact that you've come here has solved us the problem of finding you." She looked over at Atem who nodded.

They transformed back into elves and faced the king. "What problem?" Arbellason asked. A woman stepped next to him; she was beautiful and reminded Anzu of a goddess figure she once saw as a child. She must have been the Queen.

"When I was of three years old, my mother was murdered." This seemed to make all the elves come out a little closer to hear her story. Angry whispers could be heard.

"My step-mother, Calieve killed my father and destroyed the kingdom, my old home, in the north."

"So you lived in that kingdom? The grasslands are taking that land back once more." The Queen said, in a thoughtful tone.

"I was princess there." Anzu explained. "I am here to get revenge for what she did to me and my former people. I refuse to stop until she is brought to justice. To do that, we are taking the forms of elves from some far off land."

Arbellason raised a brow. "Then what is the problem?"

Anzu and Atem shared a look before replying. "You know as well as I do, Arbellason," Atem said. "That elves and dragons have always had a touché relationship. We did not want to insult you, but we did not want you to appear before the court and say that we were actually dragons."

The elf king was silent before he nodded. "I see, and this Calieve . . . she killed Adalinda?" he asked, his voice soft with a trace of steel and cruelty.

"Yes." Anzu said.

"Adalinda saved our home, and then she gave us a gift because we merely gave her information about the shadow creature, we are in her debit. It pains me that I shall never see a good friend anymore," he said. "But I can help her daughter." Arbellason held out his hand, Anzu, pleasantly shocked, took his hand and both shook. The Queen smiled.

The other elves came out this time, seeing as a deal was made. They rushed to Anzu while Atem stood back and watched. He smiled as she was surrounded by children and adults, all eager to meet Adalinda's only child.

Somehow . . . the future didn't look too lonely anymore for Anzu.

* * *

See, look at what I've done, I've added elves in here! God power now back down to 15%! Yeesh!

So, lets talk about that babble I put in the first part of the chapter.

Svabol ui gethrisjir shafaer tenpiswo?: What is going on here?

Wer asadsada.: the usual

Soren reminds ve di vi munthrek si huena vucata, jaci xurwka vi jikael statue.: Soren reminds me of a human I once knew, he made a wonderful statue.

Svanoa amusing.: how amusing.

As you can guess from these words and small talk, yes, they are dragons. But is Soren one of them? The only way to figure that out is to review so I can update once more.

Also! I have a new story coming up! (I know, I'm crazy, right?)

The story name: Legend of Light

Anzu Mazaki is the female sport-star of her school and has one more year to go before she joins the real world of sports. But one of her friends has a different plan for her and takes her to a world . . . that shouldn't exist!

Tell me what you think, would you guys like to read it, does it sound interesting? Please give me your thoughts!


	21. The Gears Turn

Back with another chapter. This is where the gears start to turn and loyalties our tested. Let's go!

Disclaimer! I own nothing!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 21

Calieve couldn't stand it! How was it that one of them could be alive, specifically the damn main Queen! That elf . . . reminded her of her step-daughter, too much, and Adalinda. The long drown hair, the eyes . . . everything about her was almost a mirror image to her former friend.

It was obvious that poison was not the way to go when dealing with these elves. Caleb came in then, a happy smile on his face, which meant he was thinking of his former wife again. Why couldn't she find a damn man who loved her? "Husband."

He turned to her; the smile was wiped off his face. "What?"

"When do the elves leave?"

"I have no idea, but they seem to be enjoying themselves and if they want to stay for a while longer, then I'll let them. It's not everyday you get to have elves in your kingdom, Calieve."

Pressing her lips into a thin line, Calieve turned and left, slamming the door behind her. Stupid, stupid man! Why couldn't he see that she didn't want them here? Or maybe he did and choose to ignore that fact. Whatever the reason, it pissed her off to no end. But tonight she would get what she wanted in the first place.

Power.

She had slipped a drug into his water that he drank every night before he went to bed. It would make him weak for about a year, but it would be cut in half because of the healers here. Still enough time for her to get what she wanted before moving onto the next man.

* * *

Atem and Anzu had returned to the castle to find their dragon friends sitting at a large table with a familiar face, Soren. Joey and Tristan were laughed and pointing at the young man, their faces flushed red as the women giggled.

Chaya looked to be in pain.

"By the way, I never got to ask but is Soren a dragon?" Anzu asked. Atem chuckled and nodded.

"One of the last of his kind, he's a gem-stone dragon."

"Isn't that the same as a gem dragon?"

"Kind of," Atem said as he tapped his finger on his chin, trying to find the right words. "He's an Obsidian Dragon. It's like a glass/stone/jewel. He's the very last of his kind. Kid had no family when we met him, at the time, he was being raised by a couple of different dragons."

"What's he like?" Anzu asked.

"Personality wise, he's a laid-back flirter who loves warmth and if he could get friends would be happy to do anything for them, as long as he gets warmth or snuggles."

Anzu raised a brow. "You're his friends, aren't you?"

"Of course!" Atem said. "It's just, Joey doesn't like it when Mai gives him snuggles, Tristan and Duke, they're after Serenity, don't like it when she gives him snuggles, Yugi isn't as bad, but he still gets very annoyed."

"So if I gave him lots of snuggles you would-"

"Destroy the world." He said bluntly. Anzu looked at him for a moment before sighing.

"Fine, have it your way." Atem growled and brought his arms around her in a tight cage. Laughing, Anzu pulled him to the table where they sat down. "Hey guys, hey Soren!" she said.

The boy perked and hopped over and gave Anzu a bold hug. Wanting to tease Atem, she hugged him back and ruffled his hair.

Even though Atem knew what she was doing, he couldn't help but grind his teeth while Chaya was cutting her steak up a little _too_ much. The women were trying hard not to laugh while all the men sent pitying looks toward their friend.

Anzu smiled at her mate and gripped his hand and squeezed, assuring him that he was her only one. Atem looked over at her, glaring at first but slowly, he couldn't help but smile.

_'__Silly.__'_ She laughed softly. Atem glared at her playfully and pulled her seat a little closer so that she was sitting closer to him while Soren went back to Chaya. He was telling a story. Anzu smiled, seeing Chaya laugh at him, an actual smile then what she had seen in a while.

Joey and Tristan were laughing as well, in fact, everyone was. "He's well liked." She said.

Atem looked over and nodded. "Yes, even though we have our problems with him, we still care for him as friends . . . especially Chaya." He chuckled as the two started a small war over the last piece of lamb.

"It's almost painful watching them." Anzu said. Atem looked over at his mate. She shrugged. "They love each other, but they won't _say_ anything."

Atem chuckled. "Yes, that's very true, but they're both too stubborn and pigheaded to see it."

"I think Chaya is aware of it, she just chooses not to show it because he likes to float around." Anzu said. Atem sighed.

"Whatever the case may be, they need to get it over with. Chaya won't be young forever. Age won't affect me like it will for her." He explained when Anzu gave him a confusing look. "I'm a god, while she and the others are merely Lords and Ladies, so to say. Though they'll live longer than most dragons, they will return to my mother and our home dimension sooner or later, unlike me, who will live on."

"Sounds lonely." She said softly. Atem nodded and smiled sadly.

"Yes, but thanks to you, I won't be as lonely as a normal god would be." There was a short silence before he stood up. "Come, let's go to bed now. We've had a long day." He said. Anzu nodded and said good-night to the others before walking to their room and falling asleep at the stars and the moon rose in the sky.

* * *

Calieve was sitting in front of her mirror, waiting for the news to come. How long was this going to take? The door opened then and Ruby came in. "My Queen!"

"Yes?"

"The King, your husband, is gravely ill." Calieve smiled. That was what she was waiting to hear. Ruby watched her Queen and felt something drop in her stomach.

"Well, then it's time those elves took their leave, don't you think?" The Queen laughed as she walked out, making Ruby pale as dread filled her heart. Something was _off_ about the Queen, and it wasn't _normal_.

* * *

Anzu lay in bed, curled up next to Atem. She could still feel the small after-shocks of their love-making when someone banged on the door. Getting up as fast as she could while putting on her nightgown, Anzu rushed for the door.

Opening it, she saw a girl red, glorious hair and moss green eyes. They were filled with terror. "Queen Anzu! You must get dressed!" the young woman sounded distressed. Atem walked beside Anzu then, half dressed with a worried look on his face.

"What's going on?"

"You must all leave, now! King Caleb has gotten very ill and all power has now shifted to the Queen! She hates you and will do anything to get rid of you! Please, you must leave!" The girl begged.

"Have you awakened the others?"

"Yeah, she did, Atem." Seto said. "I've heard guards being rallied, hurry, now!" he said. Anzu nodded and closed the door as she quickly put on the crimson dress she wore today while Atem did the same. The door slammed open and the girl shoved the dragons into the room.

"Hey!" Chaya said. Soren stood beside her, nudging her gently.

"The guards were coming in both directions." The girl explained.

"Then why did you trap us in this room?" Kisara demanded. The red haired girl looked over at them.

"Because this room has an emergency exit, one the Queen doesn't even know about."

Atem looked about just as everyone else was doing, looking for some secret door. The girl ran to the wardrobe and opened the doors, pushed the clothes out of the way and pressed against the back wall. To the dragons' shock and surprise, there was a door!

"This way, it'll lead you under the castle. This place use to be under heavy battle a lot, so the castle inhabitants needed a plan B if one was ever needed."

"They didn't get to use it?"

"No, the one who designed the castle died before he could tell anyone of this, the people who lived here all died." A cold shiver went through the room. "But I found this long ago, and now I can put it to some use. Go, quickly!" she said. "I will follow shortly."

No one wasted any time, but Atem and Anzu made sure everyone went first before they followed. The girl jumped in, closing the wardrobe door closed, shoved the clothes around and finally closed the secret doors. She turned and blinked in surprise. "What are you two waiting for?" she demanded.

"We were waiting for you." Anzu said. Ruby blinked before she smiled.

"Thank you." The girl took off after the others before Atem and Anzu followed the girl. As they ran, the floor crumbled under Anzu.

"Atem!" she gasped. His arm shot out and wrapped around her waist and he quickly pulled her to the solid side. They stood there for a moment, before she heard Atem gasp. "What?" she asked, looking up at her mate.

He, on the other hand, stared at her in complete and total shock. "Atem, you're starting to scare me." She said softly. "What is it?"

"You're . . ." he paused, unsure what to say. Anzu pouted but gasped as a shiver ran down her spin, she became aware of something. Something _within_ her.

"How?" she whispered.

Atem chuckled. "Things happen."

"Will th-" he shushed her at that moment.

"Yes, it takes two years, I'll explain later, but right now, we need to catch up with the others." Anzu nodded and turned down the hall, Atem right behind her, making sure she didn't hurt herself any further. As they walked down the thousands of stairs, Anzu and Atem found the others waiting for them.

"Thank goodness!" Chaya said. "We thought you had been caught."

Atem turned to Anzu, smiling tenderly as she blushed. "We're fine . . . we just found out some happy news, that's all."

"Oh?"

"Later, let's get out of here, now." Atem said quickly. He turned to the red haired girl. "Your name?"

"Ruby. This way." She said, pushing against a rock wall that moved easily at her touch. They walked out and into . . . the elves' forest! Anzu walked deeper into the green trees and plants and yelled out.

"Arbellason, where are you? We need your help!" The forest remained silent until the sound of soft footsteps came from her right. Looking over, she saw that it was not the elf king, but a familiar face. "Thorontor!" she gasped.

He bowed, placing his fist over his heart. "Lady Anzu, you bring more with you?"

"Calieve has made her move to try and destroy us." Atem growled. Thorontor looked up, his cat-like features sharpening.

"I shall take you to the king then, come, quickly." He said and spun around. They followed him to a city of light and peace, but it was soon shattered as Thorontor demanded that the King come forth. It did not take long.

Arbellason walked out with his Queen, Verisiel. "What's going on?"

Anzu spoke quickly. "Calieve has made her move, we out smarted her, thanks to Ruby." Arbellason nodded and closed his eyes for a second.

"Verisiel,"

"Yes?" she asked, turning to her king.

"Prepare the archers, if the witch wants a fight, then a fight she shall get." Anzu smiled and turned to her friends, who looked just as excited.

"King Arbellason, may I ask you a favor?"

He turned to her and nodded. "Yes?"

"How good are your healers?"

The elf king blinked. "We are the best when it comes to healing, other than the dragon tears."

Could your healers work together with Mana to create a healing potion that will heal and wake King Caleb?"

"Yes." He turned and called two men. They stepped forward, fists over their hearts. "Work with the dragon named Mana and try to create a healing potion that can possibly travel through the wind and air."

The elves bowed and nodded before turning to Mana. Atem leaned close to Anzu's ear and whispered softly to her. "It's starting."

"Yes, but Calieve forced our hand, which means we have to come up with new ideas."

"Yes, that's true, but I have confidence." He said. Anzu chuckled.

"When do you not?"

* * *

There ya go! We'll have a new character joining us in the next chapter, I wonder who that will be. *shruggs* Also, what did Atem and Anzu discover in the the secret passage area? Only one way to fing out, I guess.

One more thing, please look at my new story, Legend of Light. Please and thank you! :D


	22. Shadows

Oh look, I updated again. That was nice of me. :3

Point blank peeps, this chapter sparks the beginning of the end. Its rather saddening that this story is almost done. yeesh. Anyway . . .

And peeps, I wanted to make it obvious that Anzu was pregnant. (It's just the bobbly-headed ones I love teasing.(Not that I'm pointing any fingers at anyone.) :3 *giggle*

Disclaimer, I own nothing!

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Dragon Princess

Chapter 22

Everyone had returned to their original forms and was talking to Arbellason while Mana and the two healers were whispering quietly to themselves. Ruby was talking to Verisiel asking if she could do anything to help out. Anzu on the other hand, slipped away to the moon roses that were glowing brightly.

Curling up by the small pool of water, Anzu went back to the little ones that were now growing within her.

She was going to be a mother.

The very idea still frightened and excited her to no end.

"You look worried over something." Someone said. Anzu turned to see a black dragon with brown glass-like edges on the scales. He had a glossy sheen to him as he stepped into the moon light.

"Soren."

He bowed his head. "That's me." He looked back up at her. "But my question is, what are you doing here, alone?"

Anzu blinked before sighing. "My plan . . . it's fallen past its original point."

"What are you going to do about it then?" he asked.

"I'm going to leave." Soren looked at her sharply only to see determination.

"To go where?" he asked. Anzu closed her deep blue eyes and opened them once more before turning to him.

"To face Calieve, alone."

Soren choked and turned to face her, his eyes slightly wild, only to meet her calm and steady ones. "I have to get this over with, Soren." She said and got up. The male dragon watched her for a moment before he stood up.

"You can't go in alone without an army." He said, running in front of her. "Besides, if Atem found out that I just let you go and didn't tell him, or even worse, didn't go with you to make sure you're safe, he'd kill me. Let's make a deal, I'll let you go, but you have to allow me to put together a small army. Deal?"

Anzu sighed and gave in. "Fine. Be quick, I won't wait." she said before walking towards the pool and transforming into an elf once more, but this time she took a knife and cut her long hair back to the original length. She turned to Soren. "Leave, now!" with that said, she walked back towards the castle that she and her friends had run from. It was time to end this.

* * *

Calieve smirked as she held the scepter in her hands. _She_ had the power once again, in her hands. It was quite a high every time she did this. She was about to reach for the crown when a guard came in. "My Queen!"

"What now? Have you found them?" she demanded. The fact that she had the elves cornered and then to open that door . . . just thinking about it made her want to scream.

"No, but a young woman claiming to be your step-daughter has challenged you to a death match." Calieve's gaze narrowed as she got up and stepped out on her balcony.

No, it couldn't be!

But there she was, standing in a far off field all alone was Princess Anzu. Calieve snarled. "It's time to end this, once and for all!" she turned around and marched out. "Get my horse ready, now!" Servants scuttled about, many already wishing that their king would get better soon.

Calieve walked out to the courtyard and grabbed the reins of a black stallion and got on. "I'll return shortly." She growled and rode off.

* * *

Anzu watched Calieve approach on a black stallion. When she was only twenty feet away, the twisted Queen stopped the horse and got off. The field around them was filled with long grasses that swished around in the whipping wind.

"Calieve."

"Anzu." The woman sneered. "I must say, I'm surprised you're alive."

"Ah, that's right, you asked Derek to kill me or get rid of me." She nodded and smirked as Calieve paled. "You thought I wouldn't know? Tisk, tisk, Calieve."

"It doesn't matter now, I'm Queen, and you are _nothing_."

"That's what you think!" But Calieve just laughed.

"When I say, you are nothing, you are nothing, child." Anzu froze, something wasn't right. Calieve's eyes turned to a black ugly color and her once manicured nails were now sharp needles.

"_What __are __you, __Calieve_?"

"_Your __worst __night mare!__"_ she laughed and was consumed by shadows and a dark, pruple-ish mist. Anzu stepped away quickly as a black wings sprouted from the back mass. The shadows and mist disappeared to reveal a black dragon. But this was _nothing_ like Atem, Duke, or Soren.

Instead of neck fins like any other dragon would have, Calieve had black, oily looking smoke for a neck fin. Red eye glowed and it was nothing like Atem's warming crimson gaze.

_"__Foolish __child, __not __even __an __army __can __touch __me.__So __what __makes __you __think __you __can __face __me, __and __live.__"_

'_Where __in __the __world __is __Soren __when __you _really _need __him __with __that __army he mentioned?__'_ Anzu asked herself. Calieve had taken a deep breath and breathed out . . . acid! There was no way to dodge it! Not even if she ran fast enough.

Suddenly she was yanked out of the way and into someone's arms as the acid hit the ground, eating away at the ground and grasses. Anzu looked up to see . . . Ruby! "Ruby?"

The servant looked down and smiled. "No, though you did once call me that. I believe, if you look to the past, you might find me, though in a very different form."

Anzu looked at the young woman and then looked into her past. Ruby was a bit familiar, but from where? "I'll give you a hint." She laughed. "You saved my life, and my chicks' lives, I couldn't just leave you with a debt on my shoulder like that. Besides, we're allies."

That was all Anzu needed. The Circle . . . "Rubeliara!" she cried out and hugged the woman. "Why are you here?"

"I told you," she smiled. "I can't, _I __couldn__'__t_, leave with a debt that I own you." A shrieking roar interrupted them, making them turn to the dragon before them.

"Do you know dragon she is?"

Rubeliara curled her lip. "She's a Shadow Dragon. One that even the Creator thought to be an abomination. Calieve is the last."

Something clicked with Anzu then. "That must be why she lost her child . . ."

"What?"

Anzu turned to the ruby dragon. "Calieve was expecting once, but on her six month, she lost the child. It must have been the Creator who took her son's life force."

"Why would he do that?" Rubeliara asked.

"Because, Atem told me that he, the Creator, is in charge of the balance, when he created the Shadow Dragons he must have realized that they ruined the balance between good and evil, so he made them infertile, Calieve must have been the very last to be born and live."

"So what you're getting at is . . ." Rubeliara thought for a moment before speaking again. "The Creator has been trying to end this himself?"

"And it also might be the reason why my mother, Adalinda, and her brother, Caleb, were the last full Sapphire dragons here."

Rubeliara sucked in a shocked breath. "To hunt her down . . ."

Anzu nodded. "Yep, and now it's my turn." She said and stepped forward to the Shadow Dragon. "Calieve, I'm something you might have to worry about, trust me!" Transforming once more, she faced a shocked black dragon. Anzu became aware of someone else transforming so she looked over to see Rubeliara.

"It may be your turn, but you're not alone." Anzu's eyes widened before she smiled.

"Thank you." They turned back to the snarling dragon. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are." Rubeliara growled, showing her teeth to the Shadow Dragon.

* * *

Oh dear . . . I left you guys off. *grins* see ya next update!


	23. The Army of Gem Dragons

Heeeey peeps of FanFiction! I'm back, again!, with another update. Though, this will be last, for two days at least. My Thanksgiving Break starts Wednesday! So two days, you have to suff- ahem, I mean, _wait_ for the next update.

Let's get started, shall we?

Disclaimer, I own NOTHING!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 23

Soren was in his human form once again and running towards a specific house. Turning the corner from the main street he came to a small, squished house that sat in between two massive homes. He ran up to the door and started to bang on it.

"Ashok, Kenna, Seafo, Shard, and Seikaru!" he yelled. "Come on you guys! Please open up!"

The door snapped open to a red eyed and black haired Seikaru. "Goodness! Thrice rigluin ekess bang shafaer wer ifni zyak tonn stranger!" Her eyes widened as they landed on the person in front of her. "Soren?"

"Not right now!" he snapped. He pushed his way through the door and started to yell again, only this time he added cuss words. "Wake up, you fu-" he stopped in mid-sentence as Shard's fist came flying at him. He caught it this time. Shard blinked for a moment at the serious look on his face.

"What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me?" Soren screamed. "I have a damn emergency and you guys aren't answering the door! Where the hell is Ashok?"

Shard didn't even bother to stop the language that came flying out of his mouth as she turned on her heel and ran to the kitchen. Seconds later she came out with the rest of dragons.

"Soren, what's going on? Why are you acting like this?"

He could have sworn he heard his patience snap. "Why? My gods, are you all dumb? There is a Sapphire Gem Dragon who needs your help and here you are eating dinner! Get off your asses and _help!_" He ended his speech with some gasps for air.

Kenna was the first to bounce into action. "What are we waiting for then?" she demanded. "Take us to her!" Soren shook his head.

"I can't, I have to find someone. I know where to look but she moves around constantly and I need to find her. Ashok, I know you have more gem dragon friends here, I know you do. Find them; you know there's only one type of dragon that can beat a Shadow Dragon."

Kenna and Seafo sucked in a shocked breath. Soren turned to face them. "I guess you guys had an encounter with one before."

Kenna gulped. "Seafo and I barely lived after we fought it . . ."

"That's why I need an army of gem dragons!" Soren snapped. "Please, Ashok!"

She remained silent before nodding. "I do have some friends here, go find whoever you need to find Soren, just tell us where the location is."

"The dead field, you remember where that is, don't you?"

"I do." Seafo said.

"Hurry up and get your allies then, dammit!" Soren snapped and ran out.

"Tir wux jikahshi jacion?" Seikaru asked softly.

Ashok turned to her and nodded. "Yes, I believe him. Soren doesn't like to stay serious, and the fact that he came in screaming like he did . . ." she shook her head. "Come on, we've got work to do."

* * *

Atem walked through the forest to where the moon roses were. Anzu was no doubt there. When he came to the small cove, it was empty. He threw out his mind to find her and in a matter of seconds, he found her familiar signal.

She was . . .

Atem lost his temper.

Snarling he turned back to the city. How could she _do_ that? "Atem, what's wrong?" Chaya asked as she skidded to a halt as the others came in behind her.

"Anzu went to fight Calieve alone, and somehow she's gotten herself into a fight with a _Shadow__Dragon!_" he snarled and transformed into a dragon. Black and crimson flames flashed off his scales, burning some of the leaves on the trees. "Mahado!"

"Yes?"

"Stay with Mana so that she completes the potion."

"I will, good luck." He said softly as the group of massive dragons took off.

* * *

Anzu snarled and lunged forward, her silver teeth flashing as they gripped the neck of the dragon before her.

Calieve snarled and raised her claw to slam down on the young dragon but Rubeliara stopped it by releasing a jet of hot ruby flames. Shrieking in pain, the Shadow dragon disappeared and reappeared ten feet away from them.

"Anzu, how do we fight against a dragon like this?" Rubeliara asked. She was bleeding already, but that was because she had sensed the life within her friend and had taken the worst blows. But that didn't mean Anzu got away scratch free.

Anzu was covered with stinging claw marks that ran down her back and neck. "If my mother could beat this, then I'm sure we can too, we just need to find out how." She growled as she summoned a skyfire bolt, creating a deep gash in Calieve's side.

_"__I__'__ve __had __enough __of __you!__"_ Calieve snarled and opened her jaws, releasing the acid. Anzu and Rubeliara dodged just in time as the acid came in contact with the ground, eating away at the grasses.

The ruby dragon hissed as the acid got sprinkled on her side. "Rubeliara!"

"Don't worry about me!" She gasped. "It's you who needs to stay out of the way. After all, Atem won't be very happy if acid is the one that kills you after this stunt you've pulled on him." The ruby dragon chuckled and gave the sapphire dragon a toothy grin.

Anzu rolled her eyes. "I've no doubt about that. For all I know he just might turn me into a human to spank me."

Rubeliara laughed as she used her tail to lash at Calieve's face, making the black dragon scream in rage. _"__Take __this!__"_ she yelled out and slammed her claw into the earth. The ground shook below them as a crack started to form.

Anzu jumped out of the way and Rubeliara took off to avoid falling. The crack continued to get bigger until it finally stopped. The newly formed canyon was about as wide as a castle and continued on for about ten miles.

There was another explosion and water suddenly erupted and spilled into the canyon. "There's something in the water!" Rubeliara said. Anzu looked at the water and stopped . . . there _was_ something in the water.

A young man appeared from the water, it was odd, but fascinating at the same time because the water seemed to form his body, and he was very familiar. He had black hair . . . tipped with the waters of paradise.

"Seafo?" Anzu gasped. The young man turned his cold dark blue eyes to her and smiled.

"Thought you would remember me, 'Elf Queen'." Anzu snorted.

"All in the past."

He laughed and shook his head. "Sorry if you had to wait a while, it took some time to get Ashok's friends to join us and help you." He opened a book then and it started to glow a bright blue. From its pages erupted water, but this water did not join the water below, instead it surrounded the young man and formed a waterspout*.

Wings then erupted from the twister made of water and slowly, it turned into a delicate mist to reveal an aquamarine dragon striped with black. His eyes were the same cold deep blue and he had pearl colored teeth and horns.

"So," Rubeliara said. "The Aquamarine Dragons are still alive? I never would have guessed."

"And he's not alone!" a female voice yelled out. Anzu turned to see a group of people standing beside each other. Kenna, the girl she had run into, stepped forward. Her left eye glowed brightly in the darkness that Calieve had cast.

Fire fell from her left eye and consumed her. The flames turned into a dragon that looked more like a phoenix before it solidified into a dragon whose eyes glowed with the sunrise of a new day and scales that had the same color of the magma in Atem's cave. Kenna flapped her wings and joined Rubeliara in the air.

"I'm a Firepale Dragon."

"And you have a crush on an Aquamarine Dragon?" Ruby snickered. Kenna glared.

"Shut it, male eater." Ruby continued to snicker, not even bothering to make a come back.

"Well, I think its time to join them, don't you think?" Lillian asked.

"Hak svabol re yth itheikir ihk?" Seikaru yelled. A bright light blinded Anzu for a minute before she could open her eyes again. When she did, she was surrounded by gem dragons.

"Who's who?" she asked looking at the dragons.

A topaz dragon snorted. "I'm Jack, and Emily, my mate, is an Emerald Dragon." He said as Emily came to stand beside him. "Amy and Lillian are Amethyst and Rose dragons."

Another dragon stepped forward whose color closely resembled Amy stepped forward. "I am Ashok. I am a Light Amethyst dragon, a branch that came from Amy's kind." She said. "Seikaru is a Lilac dragon, Shard is the Crystal dragon, and as you know, Kenna and Seafo are Firepale and Aquamarine dragons."

Anzu and Rubeliara blinked at the information. "Well, I'm Anzu and this is Rubeliara, but since her name is a bit of a mouthful-"

"I don't disagree with you there." The ruby dragon sighed.

"Call her Ruby." Anzu chuckled. "Now, does _anyone_ know how to beat _that_." She said, pointing with her tail at the furious Shadow Dragon that was now very much outnumbered.

"Kenna and I have an idea," Seafo growled, showing his teeth to the black beast. "Have you tried to use full force on her?"

"At first," Ruby said. "But we started to do quick, short attacks due to the fact that whenever we tried to use full force our attacks slipped past or through her."

"Well, here's nothing new, you can't use your full force until you transform her."

"Transform her?" All the gem dragons said together. Kenna spoke up then.

"As in, turn her into the gem you represent. After you do that, she's solid and can take any hit you throw at her. She's a Shadow Dragon, and you can't exactly touch or attack your shadow, now can you?"

Anzu nodded, a plan now forming into her mind. "So all together, let's use or breath weapons."

Ashok growled. "Sounds like a plan."

The gem dragons made a half circle together and each summoned the color mist. Calieve snarled and started to flap her wings, using the wind to force back the colored mists.

_"__You __won__'__t __touch __me!__"_ she laughed. Kenna growled.

"I hate to agree with her, but she's right, with her flapping her wings like that, our breath weapons won't get anywhere near her."

"Then it's a good thing I'm here!" someone laughed. Another dragon practically dropped out of the sky and onto the Calieve's back. Then came the horrible sound a flesh being torn.

Anzu watched with wide eyes as one of Calieve's wings came right off. The gem dragons shivered, all of them. Calieve screamed as the mist now closed in on her and consumed her. The mystery dragon sprang up from the multi-colored mist and landed in the middle of the half circle.

The dragon was obviously female, but the color of a green beryl gem. Her neck fins, claws, and two horns were the color a freshly polished gold. Her eyes were a moss green. "Hi, Soren sent me here." As she said that the Obsidian Dragon landed next to her. Anzu eyed the young male with her evil eye.

"Chaya better be the only one."

Soren gulped loudly and nodded. "Like I said, old friend I met while traveling around."

"Oh wow!" the green beryl whispered. Soren decided to do introductions.

"Anzu and everyone else, this is Luna, she is the dragon that travels around with a wolf pack. If you don't believe me, they're right there." He said, pointing to a cliff that wasn't far away. Anzu _did_ see wolves.

"Soren! You said she was just a Sapphire dragon! You never said anything about her silver marks!"

"Silver marks . . . ?" Kenna was utterly lost.

"See how I have gold? That means even though I'm the same as you guys, I can still beat you to a pulp." The gem dragons bristled at this. "But Anzu . . . oh wow, I never thought I'd see another one again."

"What's the difference?" Seafo snapped, glaring at the new dragon, he then turned to Soren. "I can see why you guys got along together so well."

"Humans would put gold before silver, but for dragons, it's the opposite, silver is above gold. Silver means that you're basically a god or goddess. In dragon terms."

Anzu blinked and realized that everyone was looking at her rather curiously. "Hey now, it's not like I'm going to start demanding tribute from you guys."

A snarl broke the conversation and a tail of ruby lashed out, hitting all the dragons. Anzu, out of all of them, was throw several feet away. Calieve shot out of the mist like a missile and held the sapphire dragon down as the multiple colored sharp teeth descended to Anzu's exposed neck.

"_ANZU!__"_

* * *

MWA HA HA HA HA HA! See ya in two days! *dodges knives and cocoanuts and dissapears into wormhole unknown to man*

The unknown babble of words...

1.)Goodness! Thrice rigluin ekess bang shafaer wer ifni zyak tonn stranger!: Basically she's saying that you don't have to hit the door so hard stranger.

2.)Tir wux jikahshi jacion?: Do you believe in him?

3.)Hak svabol re yth itheikir ihk?: Then what are we waiting for?

* A water spout is a tornado that forms over water.

Bye-Bye!


	24. The End?

The readers find themselves on a sand beach with amazing waters and wonderful warm sunshine. Are they alone? Oh! Look! Someone sits on a towel. The figrue is female, the firgure turns . . .

"You guys really thought I was going to let you go through that for two days? (I'm not that mean.)"

I have something to say...

Sara Darkotter: :P

Have fun.

Disclaimer, I own NOTHING!

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 24

Anzu closed her eyes as the others screamed her name. Seconds past, then a minute. Ok . . . why was there no pain? Surely those sharp teeth weren't fake; in fact, her side hurt really bad, so Calieve, who was holding her down, was very real. So why was there no pain?

Anzu cracked open an eye . . . to find Soren staring down at her with wide, fearful eyes. "Aren't I supposed to be dead?" she asked him.

The Obsidian Dragon sighed with relief and flopped to the ground beside her. "Thank the gods! I thought that dragon didn't get to Calieve on time."

"Other dragon?" she asked, now sitting up.

"Do you know what would have happened to me?" Soren said, continuing on and ignoring her question. "I could have died by Atem's hands if I told him I let you go into battle, with or without the army, while expecting _his_ chicks, and you died. Oh gods, the moment Calieve got you like that . . ." he shivered. "My life flashed before my very eyes!"

Anzu watched him, amusement rolled off her aura as she watched the dragon. "And I thought Chaya was the drama queen." She muttered. "Now, Soren, what other dragon."

Soren finally snapped out of it and pointed with his tail. "_That_ dragon. You don't happen to know him, do you? He's a Sapphire Dragon too." Anzu looked over to see Calieve and the male Sapphire Dragon fighting. Claws cutting deep into their scales and teeth ripping flesh.

The male was using his wings since Calieve couldn't use hers now since she only had one. Anzu turned to see the other gem dragons walking over to her. They looked shocked and relieved. Ashok spoke first. "Do you know that dragon?"

"Nope, just because we happen to be the same species doesn't mean I instantly know all about the dragon."

A shriek interrupted Ashok just as she was about to speak. The Male dragon had used its tale and slammed it against Calieve's side, throwing her several feet before she hit the ground, creating a large scar in the land. The dragon turned from the fallen dragon to the small group of gem dragons.

He walked up to them silently, and Anzu was struck with an odd feeling. She knew this dragon, or, at least she thought she did. Finally, he spoke.

"I thought the dragon god Atem taught you how to keep an eye on your enemy?"

That voice was the familiar _too_! Anzu pouted slightly. "Do I know you?"

The Sapphire male chuckled. "Indeed you do, Anzu. Tell me, did you believe that I forgot that I was a dragon, like the rest of the old Sapphires?" That teasing voice . . . they had all heard it before!

All of the gem dragons' jaws dropped. "_King __Caleb_?"

The dragon smirked. "Finally, it clicks with you silly little fools." He rolled his eyes and then turned to Anzu. "I always did wonder if Adalinda was just fooling around saying she had a child, but I see that I am wrong. It's a pleasure to meet you, Anzu."

Anzu blinked before saying in a small, squeaky voice. "Uncle?"

"Yes, that is who I am, to you." Anzu's heart stuttered . . . she had family! She actually had family! Suddenly she was yanked back by her tale and a black tri-colored dragon stood in between the two Sapphire dragons, his teeth were bared as a growl rumbled from his throat.

Anger flashed through Caleb's eyes and he did the same. Anzu, who was a bit lost as to why Atem was so angry, compared the two.

Atem was about two inches taller than Caleb and his claws were slightly longer. Chaya skipped to a halt beside her friend as the other dragons in Atem's group landed not far off, and started to question her. "Who's the other guy?"

Anzu blinked and finally, after a serious dumb moment, she realized why her mate was being territorial. "Atem, it's Caleb, my uncle."

The black dragon turned to her and then back to the male Sapphire dragon. "King Caleb?"

"Caleb will be fine." The blue dragon snorted. He eyed the dragon god before turning to his niece. "At least you have a mate who will destroy a world for you." Anzu blushed under her scales and looked away.

"Is Calieve-"

"She still lives, but I've knocked her out. Atem could do the killing blow."

"No." Anzu growled as she stood up. "Calieve is mine." As she spoke, a thunderstorm formed above the comatose multi-colored female dragon. Skyfire flashed through the clouds, and it only grew stronger. A single sphere of skyfire hovered far above the dragon, whom was now waking up.

* * *

Calieve struggled to stand as her muscles screamed in pain. Her beautiful body of shadows was now frozen in different kinds of gems. She had been so confident when facing the brat, but that damned ruby dragon kept getting in the way.

And the joining of the other gem dragons . . . how could there have been so much gem dragons and she did not even sense them? But she had been so close to killing Adalinda's child but then Caleb came to the damn rescue.

_Calieve snarled as she held down the dragon. Opening her massive jaws, she closed in on the neck. Suddenly a pain that she had not felt in so long erupted from her side and a claw grabbed her by the neck and threw her in the air and pulled her away from her prey._

_Whipping __around, __she __came __face-to-face __with __an_ old _enemy. __Someone __who __was __supposed __to __be _dead_!__ "__You!__" __she __snarled._

_"__Yes,__" __he __snorted. _"Me_.__" __He roared __and __lunged __at __her, __cutting __a __good __size __scratch __on __her __face, __taking __out __an __eye._

Calieve snarled and was about to avenge her eye by taking his own when the air changed around her. She looked up just in time to a see the biggest bolt of skyfire that she had ever seen, coming right towards her.

Real fear struck her very core at that moment. In a vain attempt to stop the bolt, she used her breath weapon. A jet of acid once again erupted from her mouth, only this time, she was putting everything into it.

The two breath weapons met in the middle, and then the battle of wills started, who could hold out until one of them faltered.

* * *

Anzu gasped as she held the bolt of skyfire and pushed against the acid. Atem pressed against her, giving his energy just as everyone else was doing. After several minutes, the bolt was the first to give an inch.

_'__NO!__'_ She snarled and mentally pushed harder. Then . . . absolute peace filled her. A voice echoed inside her mind.

_"__I __created __the __Shadow __Creatures, __it __is __time __I __clean __up __the __mess __I __made.__" _Anzu blinked. The voice was hard to put into a male or female category because the voice sounded both male and female. Then an image formed inside her mind.

"_Who __are __you?__"_ she demanded.

The figure turned and Anzu narrowed her eyes as she got a closer look, like the figure's voice, it was hard to tell what gender this being was. Some features were feminine and some were masculine. _"__Many __call __me __the __Creator, __in __some __worlds, __God.__"_ He waved his hand in a graceful motion and Anzu was instantly cut off from her bolt.

"Anzu?" Atem said softly.

Chaya and Soren looked up into the sky and then looked back at the gem dragon. "Umm . . . Anzu?"

"What?" she gasped out of exhaustion.

"How are you doing that?"

She looked up at the sky for a moment before answering. "I'm not."

"Then who is?"

"The Creator, I believe." She said and leaned against her mate. They all watched the bolt as it got bigger, and more powerful.

* * *

Calieve struggled to keep the bolt away, but her will was failing. "_I __will __not __die!__"_ she snarled.

"_You __were __a __mistake, __one __that __should __not __have __been __let __out __like __your __ancestors __were.__"_

_"I will prevail, even if you are the damn Creator! I am the last, I am the most powerful!"_

_"__No __longer.__"_ There was steel resolution as the bolt of skyfire consumed the acid, and hit Calieve.

_"__NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!__"_

* * *

Anzu watched as the skyfire shot down and through the acid, as though it was nothing, and consumed Calieve. Then, the white light flashed out, knocking out all dragons.

* * *

*sips coconut drink* "And I still left you guys off, but hey, at least you know Calieve is dead.

Chapter 25 might or might not be the last chapter. (depending on how much I fit into it and such.)"

The wonderful, oh-so god-like, (JK!)

Germantownmaiden~ XDDD


	25. The Peace of 100 years

Hi everyone. It's time to close this story for good now. It is probably my favortie story as well! *haha!* It's sad that I have to end it, and I've grown so close to the characters. (even though most of them aren't mine) Now before I start crying, let's get this chapater to you guys.

Disclaimer, I own nothing.

* * *

Dragon Princess

Chapter 25

Anzu floated in darkness for days, she could hear soft whispers around her from time-to-time but they were always hushed quickly and there was once again silence. But when she did wake up, she couldn't help but smiled.

"Ah, she smiles as she awakens!" Atem chuckled as he stared down at her, a sweet, tender smile swept across his face.

Anzu reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How could I not smile when it's you whom I first see?" He chuckled once more and kissed her. Sighing, she kissed him back until she ran out of air.

"So," she said, breathless, almost. "What happened after we fainted? And why does it feel as though I slept the longest?"

"Because you did, when you faced Calieve with your skyfire power, you didn't realize just how much power you put into it. My Mother even said she saw the faint outline of your spirit in her realm; thankfully, the Creator pushed your spirit back. A reward for going up against Calieve when so much was against you."

"Well, that was nice of him." She murmured thoughtfully. "Are our children ok?"

Atem sighed. "Yes, thank the gods for that, by the way, you're not getting away from that stunt you pulled on me." He growled. "Do you know how many heart attacks you gave me?"

"Enough to send you to the Creator?"

"A little bit more than that but fairly close." He huffed. "For the next two years you're going to stay in the cave and you're not going to come out."

"Hey, that's not fair! Oh . . . umm, you never did explain the whole two years thing."

He blinked. "I didn't? Huh, thought I did. Anyway, dragons, as you know, live for a very long time, in fact, given the right circumstances, even the plain dragons live for about two million years." Anzu mouth dropped. "Shocking, no?"

"And _you__'__ve_ been alive for _how_ long?" Atem hummed and tapped his chin.

"I put it roughly around one million years, but then again, I might be older." He paused as he saw the look on her face. "Do remember that I am a god, it doesn't matter how many years pass, I will live on."

"But surely we gods and goddesses have a limit?"

Atem shrugged. "Only the Creator knows the number of years, so, back to the two years. The reason why it takes so long is because of the basic process. They start out by taking both of our auras and combining them. Then it's about a four month wait until the chicks become aware that they are alive."

"Become aware?"

"Weird, right? So, if you get only two eggs at one point but then you get fifteen eggs when you try again, it merely means that the first time, not enough became aware of themselves and the second time, you had lots become aware of themselves. It's like a gamble each time. After that happens they start to separate themselves from their brothers and sisters and create their own aura. That takes another four months and finally, they make the shells of the egg where the actual growth and body forming comes in, and that takes up the rest of the year. The second year the eggs will sit in the nest and the rest is history."

"And you know all this how . . .?" she asked. Atem sighed and lay back on his pillow.

"The most interesting question I asked my Mother." He muttered under his breath. Anzu blinked once, than twice before bursting into a fit of giggles. He glared at her. "What?"

"Nothing, but I can guess that the question is the equivalent to the question when human children ask where do babies come from."

Atem chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist as he snuggled closer to her. "I'm very angry at you."

"Why?"

He looked slightly insulted, as though she should have known. "For two months I had to go and be social with everyone else but _you_! You couldn't stand the two days I was down, right?"

"Yeah, it was horrible."

"Two months, my dear, try that."

"No thank you." She smiled, making Atem laugh.

"How about this, I'll make sure not to knock myself out just as long as you do the same, deal?"

"Deal." She said, sealing it with a kiss.

There was a knock at the door then and Chaya's cheerful voice seeped through the door. "Hey there, you awake, bro?" Atem glared at the door, hoping that his youngest sister would go away. Anzu laughed softly.

"She's not going away, love. We might as well get up." She said, slowly getting off the bed in case she had a case of vertigo. When that wasn't the case, she went to the door and opened it.

Chaya, a young dragon, who, at the moment, had blond hair tipped with turquoise and blue eyes, exploded at the sight of her friend. "Finally! You're awake!" she exclaimed and gave Anzu a fierce hug. Atem growled.

Chaya peeked over Anzu's shoulder and glared back at him. "Oh shut up, big brother, you always get to have her now, share her." He came up from behind Anzu and stepped in between his mate and sister.

"Mine." He growled.

Chaya pouted. "You're not serious." His glare intensified and a small flame sparked in his eyes. Chaya sighed. "You're serious." She stomped out of the room. Soren peeked into the room just as she was leaving.

"Hey there, Beautiful." He then noticed Atem and Anzu. "Hey guys! Glad you're up Anzu. You had us all worried." He turned back to Chaya and found her glaring at him, though it wasn't really a glare, more like a pout. "What?"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. "I hate it when you call me that in front of people." She muttered. Soren glared.

"I'm your mate though!"

"Doesn't matter." Anzu turned to Atem.

"Looks like your sister finally doesn't have to spend her days all alone now."

"Trust me when I say this, my Mother is _very happy_ about that fact."

"I heard that!" Chaya yelled. Atem smiled and turned to Anzu, a sly smirk on his face.

"Only telling the truth."

* * *

Caleb looked up when four people walked in. He smiled. "Anzu, glad to see that you're finally up."

She nodded. "I am as well, Uncle." Without Calieve, things were peaceful, very peaceful. "With the Shadow Dragon gone, I can actually feel the peace in the air."

"Indeed." A familiar voice said. Anzu spun around and found herself looking at . . . who was she looking at? The . . . stranger, was standing beside by a woman who looked incredibly beautiful. The woman had white blond hair and bright blue eyes. Her smile was like the rising sun while her skin looked like the pale moon.

The person next to her . . . Anzu bit her lip. Once again she couldn't put this figure into a gender category. He, or she, had a male body with a face the spoke of female . . . and yet there was a touch of male in there. Then she remembered the image that had formed in her mind before Calieve was killed. No way . . .

"Creator?"

He . . . it? . . . smiled broadly and stepped forward and held her hands. "Correct, I am the Creator."

Anzu blinked and turned to Atem, who looked just as surprised. "Umm . . . do forgive me but ugh . . . what do you want me to call you by?" The Creator tipped . . . its(?) head to the side. "He, she?" Anzu said, making it simple as possible.

The Creator blinked and smiled. "Ah, forgive me, as the Creator I do not take one form or be one simple thing."

"Well, yeah, that would make since and all but I really don't want to insult you by calling you an . . . it." That got the Creator grinning.

"Then you may refer to me as a male since most worlds and regions already do."

Anzu nodded. "So tell me, is there any more Shadow Dragons? In this world and others?"

"No, I have cleaned up my mistakes and I will never make another creature like the Shadow Dragons. They will now be a mere legend that dragon mothers will tell their hatchlings."

Atem smiled. "So let it be written, so let it be done." He murmured softly. The Creator nodded and turned to the woman beside him.

"Say you greetings and parting words to your children, Cindara, we must go back to our world." The woman bowed her head slightly.

"Of course." Her voice reminded Anzu of sunny meadows and the blooming flowers of the spring . . . days of laughter and childhood memories. Then her mind snapped at her, the Creator said Cindara.

Anzu turned to Atem. "She's your mother?" He nodded, making her turn to Chaya who was talking with Mai. "I'm sorry, but I don't see the connection."

"That is because you are seeing the human and elf forms, my dear. When in dragon form, you can easily tell she is my daughter." The voice of sunshine and spring said.

Anzu turned to see Cindara in front of her, a gentle smile of her face. Suddenly, and quite shockingly, Cindara, the Dragon Goddess, hugged her. Atem chuckled.

"So you give her a hug and not your first born son? Tragic, Mother, just tragic." Cindara sighed and let go of a shocked Anzu to hug her son. Once she was done messing with his hair she turned back to Anzu.

"I have to thank you, if not for you, my baby would have been alone for a very long time."

"Mother." Atem muttered. Cindara turned to him, one of her fine blond brows raised, very similar the way he did his. Atem decided to remain quiet, but he also didn't bother to hide the blush that covered his face.

Anzu shrugged. "I think he would have found me anyway, it's Soren you should be thanking at the moment."

Cindara smiled slyly at the comment. "How very true," she murmured. "You two can leave now, the other gem dragons are back home, safe and sound. Sadly, I could not heal all."

Anzu and Atem looked over at her, fear whispered in their eyes. Cindara reassured them. "No one is dead, but some have painful and troubled pasts, pasts I cannot heal with merely words and blessings."

"Oh . . ."

"Now, leave, go wherever you wish to go." She said before walking off to her daughter. Anzu turned to Atem.

"Hey, I need to talk to my Uncle before I leave, ok?"

"Of course, but don't keep me waiting too long, all right?"

"Yes sir." She laughed and kissed him before walking up to her Uncle. "Caleb . . ." He turned to her, his blue, serious eyes fixing on her.

"Anzu, you're leaving?"

"Atem wants me to stay safe for the next two years. Typical male protection thing, I suppose." Caleb laughed.

"Indeed, and I do not blame your mate." Anzu rolled her eyes.

"Will you stay here?" she asked. "You could come to the mountains with us."

"You are too kind, but I cannot. In two years who knows how much mouths you'll have to feed, it is best, for right now, that I stay here and rule over the Celestial Kingdom until I can find the next King and teach him all that I know. Also . . ." he paused, as though not sure how to put it in words. "I have news . . . about Ulrick." Anzu sucked in a sharp gasp. "While I was seriously ill, he came to my room and traded his life for mine. It was how I saved you just in time." He explained.

Anzu felt her heart scream out and cry. Tears flowed freely as she thought of her old, funny, friend. Her last connection to Derek. Caleb rested a hand on her shoulder. "I asked my wizards to give him a resting place that any wizard would love and adore."

"Thank you." She whispered softly. Caleb bowed and walked away to the Good Wizards as Atem came up behind her. "You heard?"

"Yes," he said softly. "Come, this place is full of painful memories. Let's go home and pile on the years."

"You sound like an old man." She muttered, it made Atem laugh.

"Maybe so, but it's true." Anzu smiled up at him as she took his hand. They walked to the north, not bothering to transform yet. They came upon her old home where she had been born and raised in. Where she first fell in love, where her destiny first started.

"It's so odd," she said softly as she stared upon the ruins of her former home. The village buildings had collapsed and the grasses were slowly taking over, filling what was once such a barren and cold place with flowers of every color of the rainbow. The wind created a sad song as it passed through the bricks of the castle and trees. "To look back and see this place. I remember it to be my former home, and yet . . . to see it in such a state . . ."

Atem gripped her shoulder and pulled her into a tight hug. "Places that we once called home change all the time, whether we choose to notice it or ignore it." Anzu nodded and remained silent before releasing her magic and she turned back into her dragon form.

Atem's black dragon formed beside her. "Come," his wings flared open just as hers did. "Let's go back home." They flew together, their tails brushing together sometimes. She could feel the sun set and the birds call to one another as winter approached.

* * *

100 years later . . .

Anzu sat on top of a cliff that overlooked the mountain range that she lived in. Below her was a valley with lush green grass with small wildflowers around in random places. A small stream provided the valley with the water it needed.

In the valley was a massive black dragon with gold and violet that ran down his back to his tail. He was surrounded by five baby dragons the size of horses. Three of them had her sapphire color and powers while the other two had Atem's scales and powers. There was no fighting today because on this day, Atem told them a story.

Anzu sighed and looked to the ruins that were still standing of King Kevin's castle. Nature had done its job on the village, but it could not cover the massive rocks and bricks that made the castle. Only time would do that.

So much had changed over the years. Caleb, her uncle, had found his pupil and trained him until he was twenty-five, by that time, he was already married to a spitfire named Rosa.*

Chaya and Soren were dealing with their own four hatchlings while Yugi, Rebecca, Seto, and Kisara had yet to get started. Tristan and Duke were still fighting over Serenity while Joey and Mai traveled around, both not content to sit around and do almost nothing.

"_Anzu_." Atem said softly. She looked down to see her little ones staring up at her. Laughing softly, she crawled to the bottom of the valley and curled up beside her mate.

"And what do my babies call me for?" she asked. One of them, a black one, stepped forward.

"It's nap time." She yawned. Raven was a mirror image to Atem, except for the gender, much like Little Yugi. The little black she-dragon went up and curled against her mother's side and quickly fell asleep. The others crawled over and did the same. Once they were all down Atem scooted closer so that the five dragons were surrounded by both parents.

"So what was the story today?" she asked him. Atem chuckled and nuzzled her gently.

"I told them a humorous story about the Creator."

"When are you going to tell them our story?" she asked him curiously. He paused for a moment.

"It'll probably be their last story I tell them. They do know that I leave the best for last." He said as his tail curled around hers. Anzu purred as she soaked up the sunlight. Her fight for happiness and peace was over with. She had found her happily ever after.

It was true; she couldn't get her father's kingdom back like she had promised to the wind so long ago, but she had found everything here with Atem. She found her prince on a white horse, though he was far from a prince and he would rather eat a horse than ride it, but she still found the one she loved.

"What are you thinking of?" Atem asked her softly.

She turned to his warm crimson eyes and smiled. "Only about what we can do now that they're old enough to travel between worlds and dimensions."

"Anywhere we want." He said.

"Is there a new world, perhaps?"

Atem tipped his head to the side, thinking carefully. "A new world with little people and such things?"

"A place where they can grow. There's enough dragon gods and goddess in this world, don't you agree?"

Atem nodded. "I believe there is." He turned to her. "After the nap?"

Anzu nodded. "After the nap." She agreed and turned to the sky and she slowly smiled.

Looks like another adventure awaited her across worlds, space, and time.

* * *

There you have it! Then end to Dragon Princess! Now, before I close this, I have a few thanks to give out to.

_whitethorniedrose_

_Bara-san_

_MeteorLepard_

_dany14-black8_

_Annzy Bananzy_

_fantasia-49_

_Sara Darkotter_

_Leviathan of the Sea_

_akira45_

_IrresistibleAshGirl_

_XCiciNx_

_dogie lover_

_romancebookworm_

_James Birdsong_

_Seabreez17_

_namemadetoreview_

_guest_

_Saria Forest14_

_SweetComplications_

_Cherry Flamingo_

_MaximumRideTwilightLover_

_Tsukiko Kaiba_

_lonewolf-sademo588_

_Danyzta_

_IceFire Dragon Alchemist73_

_cinnamon stick_

_NadiaMiki_

_Sapphiet_

_FearlessMidnightSaphire_

_Animala Swan_

_DizzyDiana_

_Lucia Sennen_

_wtf reader_

_Honeybunches123_

_Zay Zay1221_

_Xeper_

_SRRH_

_Atemxyugi kfXjinx_

_The Story Master_

_Yumie_

__

_Smile-bestthingintheworld and . . ._

_for that reviewer who didn't have a name._

P.S. If I got your name wrong in anyway, super sorry about that. I'm like, half asleep at the moment.

Thank you guys for reviewing this story as much as you guys have. As for future you reviewers out there, I thank you as well.

*Please refer to Chapter 17

Will I do another story for this, I've no clue. Thank you guys so much for staying with my story, (even though I thought I would just kind of die before finishing it . . .) and I hope to see you guys in other reviews again! Have a nice day, or night!

Germantownmaiden~


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